What If?
by SmackDreezy
Summary: What if things were different? What if Naruto's parents survived the Nine-Tails? What if Sasuke's clan was never slaughtered by Itachi? What if Sarah's parents didn't move her to Konoha in time? How would things turn out? SasukexOC
1. The Beginning

_Author's Note: I am really excited about this story! The idea just kind of came to me the other day when I was sitting on my butt day dreaming._

_It's a story about how much things would change had certain events not happened in the show (and with my OC)._

_As the chapters progress you will see some familiar titles (episodes from the anime) with a few of my original ones thrown into the mix. It's going to follow the pattern of the show with my own little twist on things._

_Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One: The Beginning<span>

The room was blue, it was nicely sized, a crib in the corner, a changing station on the adjacent wall – and a rocking chair. A mobile of the solar system was placed delicately over the crib, a stream of sunlight illuminating it as it peered in through the window.

The house was eerily quiet on this beautiful morning, the blue sky opened up the greet the villagers. All of the flowers were in bloom and a breeze swelled through the air. Yet the flurry of spring excitement had not reached this home this morning.

Two figures sat in the living room, a red head cradling an infant, and a blonde tapping his thumb awkwardly on his mug of tea. The male was Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Yellow Flash, and the Fourth Hokage. And across the room sat his wife, Kushina Uzumaki. Minato couldn't tear his piercing blue eyes away from the bundle in her arms, their son, little Naruto was sleeping.

Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak, they didn't know what to say.

"Do you want me to hold him?"

Minato finally questioned, Kushina's gaze darted up to her husband. Her skin was pale, dark circles marring the skin beneath her eyes, he could see how exhausted she was. But despite this, she shook her head. A thin smile curled onto her lips, as if to attempt to reassure him that everything was ok. Her knew otherwise, but wouldn't force the distraught woman to hand over the child she almost lost.

Young Naruto was fast asleep, and amongst the heart-wrenching silence they could hear his little lungs pulling and pressing out air. He was alive, their son was alive and so were they. It was luck, really, pure chance that they were able to sit here as they were, like a family. Kushina traced the pad of her index finger across her son's cheek.

"He's so beautiful, Minato! He looks just like you."

Minato smiled a bit, his chest filled with warmth at the sight of his wife and son together. But his optics widened as he witnessed dreaded tears streaming down her cheeks, dripping onto Naruto's blanket.

"Kushina!"

He didn't waste another moment before darting to her side, gently cupping her chin and lifting her to eye contact. He had to know what was causing his wife such pain, what was making this ominous shadow cast over her like a blanket. She hadn't been the same since that day, since the Nine-Tails was unleashed and he almost lost her and Naruto. They narrowly managed to survive, sealing the fox inside of their son while a very brave and memorable medical ninja gave her life to save Kushina. His wife was still recovering, spending most of her days in bed and watching over Naruto while she rebuilt her strength. Minato was in the office most hours of the day, his piles of paper work seemed to get taller and taller as the days went by, and he still had to oversee some of the repairs of the village. The Nine-Tails certainly left his mark.

"Kushina, why are you crying?"

His heart sank into the pit of his stomach, her violet eyes glimmering with tears, she released a small whimper.

"We almost lost him, Minato!"

She cried, her body trembling violently as she gripped her little boy securely in her arms. For a moment, the longest moment of her life, she thought she was never going to be able to see him grow up. When the Nine-Tails almost devoured him, she knew in that moment she had to stop him, and in turn almost lost her own life.

"What if...what if we didn't..."

Kushina coughed, covering her mouth as she shook, the images replaying constantly in her mind. Her son in the arms of Madara, how her heart plunged into her gut, and how for even a split second she thought she would never be able to hold her son in her arms again. What if she lost him? What if Minato hadn't gotten to him in time? What if the Nine-Tails...

"Kushina!"

She snapped back into reality when she felt Minato's warm hands on her cheeks, he carefully brushed away her tears with his thumbs, seeing her this way, he felt his chest tightening, he couldn't bare it. The sight of her in so much pain, and so scared, it caused burning liquid to well within his own eyes.

"You can't think like that. If you continue to dwell one the 'what if's' you'll never be happy, you'll drive yourself insane that way."

However, it wasn't as though these same thoughts didn't cross his mind as well. Had he not reached Naruto in time, he didn't know what would have happened, and frankly, he didn't want to know.

"But...I almost..."

"Please, Kushina!"

Minato pleaded desperately, placing his forehead against her own and gazing into her broken expression, he picked a strand of her vibrant red hair, twirling it around his finger. He always did love her hair.

"Don't say another word...I can't..."

He cleared his throat and released a deep sigh.

"I can't stand the thought of what might have happened to either of you if I hadn't been fast enough. But you can't put yourself through this, Naruto is alive, and so are you. Right now, that's all that matters to me."

Kushina swallowed the painful lump that was bobbing in the back of her throat and nodded, knowing deep down that he was right.

"We're a family, I won't let anything happen to you two. Trust me."

Kushina glanced down for a moment at Naruto, still sleeping soundly, his world at peace. Her lips quivered into a wavering smile and she nodded, they were a family, and nothing was going to change that.

"I do trust you."

Minato smiled as she looked up at him again, leaning down he placed his lips delicately upon her own, tasting her sweetness. Her heart lifted back into her chest, and once they parted she wiped the remaining tears from her face. She was so happy and so lucky to have married this man, he was a terrific husband, and he was going to be the perfect father.

"You really should get some rest..."

He urged, wanting her recovery to be as leisurely as possible for her, Kushina opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off when they heard a knock at the front door. Minato tore himself away from her, reluctant to allow anyone into their home at this moment, but what he found waiting for him was quite surprising.

"Sarutobi!"

The former Hokage stood on old, wobbling legs at his front door, clad in white robes and his arms folded behind his back. His eyes were stern, the wrinkles on his aged face etched into a serious expression.

"Lord Hokage."

The elder man spoke, Minato felt a cold chill dance down his spine, wondering why the man was here.

"Come in, come in!"

He stumbled over his words as he stepped to the side and allowed his superior into his home, Kushina straightened up once she realized who it was, though not making any sudden movements as to wake Naruto.

"Oh good, Kushina, you're here as well."

Minato closed the door behind him and made his way to stand next to where Kushina was sitting.

"How is Naruto?"

Kushina gestured with her fingers for him to come closer, Sarutobi hobbled around the furniture and smiled warmly at the sight of the infant, so comfortable in his mother's arms.

"He's sleeping."

She whispered, waving her hand to the seat before them, he took a seat as suggested. Minato felt the air in the room suddenly become thick with tension. Why was he here? He hadn't seen him since the night the Nine-Tails attacked their village, and he rarely made personal visits.

"I'm glad to see you and Naruto are doing well."

Sarutobi stated as he gave a nod to the beautiful red head, she simply nodded in return, truly she simply wished to escape the memory and focus on the future. But it appeared that it would take a while before the talk of what occurred that night, faded away.

"I suppose you two are wondering why I stopped by."

Minato slid his hand onto his wife's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, nodding his head as he felt his stomach twist into uncomfortable knots.

"The primary reason was to see how you were doing, but it appears as though things are getting better, Kushina looks well, as does little Naruto."

And for that he was very pleased, the village had grown to love and adore the Fourth Hokage's wife, she was a real treat to be around. He could remember how when she was younger, she was quite the tomboy, always picking fights with the boys, but she had grown and developed into a mature and gorgeous woman, very intelligent and strong to stand at the side of Minato. Everyone was so thankful that she and the baby had made it out alive.

"But I also wanted to address something."

Minato cleared his throat nervously, wishing the old man would cut to the chase already.

"We took a great risk that night with Kushina giving birth, had circumstances only gone slightly array, Kushina and possibly even Naruto wouldn't have made it."

Kushina ran her fingers as gently as possible through Naruto's hair, wishing for a moment that she could block what he was saying out. Not even wanting to remember that night, couldn't they just leave it alone?

"Madara knew about the weakening of the seal, he took out our guards without so much as blinking. I thought that our location and with the amount of protection we had, that we would be secure. But clearly I was mistaken."

Minato felt pebbles of sweat forming on his brow, he quickly swiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

"Madara isn't aware that you sealed the Nine-Tails inside of Naruto, as far as he is concerned, he still believes it was re-sealed into Kushina. This means he'll be on the lookout. You do realize what this means, Minato."

Again he squeezed her shoulder, inhaling sharply.

"Yes, Sarutobi. He'll be waiting for her to become pregnant once again."

"Precisely. Madara is going to be waiting for you to conceive another child, waiting for another opportunity to steal the fox."

Kushina nodded, taking her eyes away from the elder in order to watch her child, tracing the patterns of the markings on his cheeks. Madara had to believe that the Nine-Tails was still within her, if he were to find out otherwise, he would only come after Naruto when he was too weak to defend himself.

_'I'll be damned if I let him ever touch my boy again!'_

Kushina didn't mind pretending that it was still inside of her, she was very capable of doing that, but she had a feeling that Sarutobi had more to say.

"As long as he believes this to be the truth, you two must fly under the radar."

"And that means?"

Minato questioned, seeing how badly Kushina simply wanted to hide.

"It would be in your best interest not to have anymore children."

It felt like a bomb had been dropped, the tension in the air thickening even more, if that was possible. Minato felt cold, his heart falling like a stone into his stomach, he was afraid that would be the case. Kushina said nothing, still watching her son. Naruto was the light of her life, she loved him more than anything in the world, and if keeping him and her family safe meant never having anymore children, than she would have to accept that.

"Even if Naruto is now the host, if she gives birth again, he'll come after her. And when he finds out about Naruto, he won't waste any time. And at that point, you may not be as lucky as you were the first time."

Sarutobi relayed the news reluctantly, not wanting to have to tell them that they shouldn't have anymore children. But they had to understand, this was for their safety, and for the village as well. Madara knew what to look after this time, if it were to ever happen again, he was sure that victory would be far out of their reach. Even if this was difficult for them, touch sacrifices needed to be made under certain conditions – and it was in their best interest.

"Do you understand?"

There was a brief silence, Minato scanned over every possibility in his mind, but it all drew to one conclusion. Sarutobi was right, they couldn't have anymore children until they knew for sure that Madara was out of the picture. In that one battle with him, Minato witnessed the man's determination first hand, and learned of his strength. This man had a goal, and he wouldn't stop until he reached it. Minato always wanted a big family with Kushina, but it appeared as though that would have to wait.

"Sarutobi..."

"Yes, we understand."

Kushina blurted out, cutting Minato off before he had the chance to speak. The blonde snapped his attention to her, but she faced the old man, an expression of pure determination and unflinching bravery plastered upon her features.

"Kushina..."

"We understand. If this is what it takes to keep our family safe, than we'll do it."

She wouldn't risk the safety of her family ever again, even if their protection meant giving up having more children. She would act as the host, and that is what everyone would believe, until Madara showed his face again and they could take action. Sarutobi nodded, removing himself from the chair, he said what he had come for, and thought it best that his presence be elsewhere. They needed to deal with this as a family, it was going to be hard for them, but they had Naruto, their little miracle child, and frankly, he was sure they were going to be just fine.

"I'll excuse myself. Think about what I said, Minato."

The elder man left their home, and when he was officially out of sight Minato gazed down at his wife, the only woman he had ever loved, the one he wanted to be happy more than anything. He just hoped that she knew what she was agreeing to. It wasn't going to be easy, hiding Naruto from Madara, and pretending that Kushina was still the host, a small amount of its chakra remained within her, people would believe it.

"Are you sure you're alright with this?"

He blinked as she faced him with a brilliant smile, the smile that always made him weak in the knees.

"I never said it was going to be easy...to tell the truth, I was hoping some day that we might have a little girl. But at the same time, we have to think about the village, and our family. We have Naruto, he's all we need, Minato."

Their son meant everything to them, she knew that things would be alright. He smiled at his love, pecking her forehead and then her cheek, turning down to see Naruto, still fast asleep.

"Right, he's all we need."


	2. UchihaUzumaki

_Author's Note: As a warning, certain people may seem OOC (namely Sasuke in later chapters due to the different circumstances of the plot). Just letting everyone know so I don't get my head bitten off!_

_Enjoy!_

Chapter Two: Uchiha/Uzumaki

It had been five years since Naruto's birth, since the day the Nine-Tailed demon attacked and ravaged their beloved village, since Kushina and Minato were told that their family size would have to be restricted. Minato was pleased, having finished overseeing the repairs and rebuilding of the village after the destruction from the beast, his pile of paperwork had decreased significantly. Neither of them spoke much about their conversation with the former Hokage, Kushina accepted it as much as she could, although the desire of another child still gnawed at the back of her mind. Minato had always been concerned about her reaction to the news, wondering if she was truly ok with the fact that she was forbidden to have anymore children until Madara had been found and put to rest. She did have to admit, she always pictured Naruto having a sibling, specifically a younger one, possibly a sister. Kushina had been wanting a girl for a while, fearing that Naruto would become lonely as the only child.

But the fear of Madara was always following them, trailing their every move like a shadow, she wouldn't put her son or her husband at risk because she wanted a baby. It wasn't worth it, Naruto was her miracle boy, the boy she thought she had lost and he and Minato were all she needed in order to be happy. And she was pleased to see how, over the years, Naruto didn't really seem to have any issues with loneliness.

"Naruto, are you excited to see, Sasuke?"

Kushina beamed at her son, gripping his little hand in her own. His sparkling blue eyes turned up to her, a wide smile spread across his face.

"Yeah!"

She giggled and Minato smiled at the two, finding Naruto to be the most adorable thing he had ever laid his eyes on. Their son was beautiful, spiky blonde hair to match his father's, and stunning crystal blue optics that glimmered in the sunlight. He had three whisker like markings on each of his cheeks, they assumed it was a physical trait from having the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside of him. Today he was clad in a bright orange shirt, and some jean shorts with his sandals. It was yet another gorgeous day in Konoha, as per usual, and the small family was making their way through the village in order to reach the gates of where the infamous Uchiha clan resided.

"I bet he's excited to hang out too."

Minato added as he ruffed Naruto's hair, the boy squealed and playfully hit his father on the leg.

"Daddy, stop!"

Minato chuckled brightly and soon the gates came into view, two guards stood in the front, the Uchiha crest embroidered into the chest piece of their vests.

"Lord Hokage!"

One of them spoke and the two bowed immediately, Naruto watched curiously, noticing how everyone his father came into contact with pretty much reacted the same way.

"Mommy, why don't you bow to Daddy?"

Kushina arched her brow in interest at Naruto's question and smirked.

"He bows to me, sweetie."

Minato released an outcry of laughter at his wife's sense of humor, just another one of those things he loved about her.

"Welcome, Lord Hokage."

The guard stated as they once more erected themselves, stepping to the side to allow the three of them to pass through, Minato nodded to both of them.

"Thank you, Naruto say bye to the guards."

Naruto twirled around on his heels and waved clumsily to them as he stumbled about and tried to keep grip on his mother's hand.

"Bye!"

He called to them before turning around to continue walking, his eyes wide as he took in his surroundings. He had only ventured into these parts a couple of times, on his way to visit Sasuke, his best friend, who was only about two months older than him. Sasuke also had an older brother of his own, Itachi Uchiha who was now ten years old. Whenever the two had play dates, Itachi was usually the one to watch over the two so the parents could chat. Itachi was more soft spoken and calm than Sasuke, but a child prodigy as Naruto had heard frequently.

They reached a quaint little house near the center of their clan's dwelling place. Kushina tapped lightly on the door, waiting eagerly to see her best friend and the rest of the family that they had become so close to. Moments later a slender woman, with black hair that reached her mid-back and onyx eyes answered the door, she grinned with a squeal and opened her arms. Kushina fell into the embrace, giggling while Minato and Naruto watched.

"Mikoto, it's so nice to see you!"

"You too, it's been far too long!"

The two exchanged a few pleasantries before the woman turned to give Minato a hug as well, patting his spiky hair, commenting as she usually did on how wondrous it was that it stuck up like that so naturally.

"Naruto, how have you been?"

She kneeled down to his height, patting his hair as well.

_'Just like his father's.'_ She thought with a chuckle.

"Good!"

"Sasuke's excited to see you, he's been waiting for you to come over all week!"

He bounced up and down, exposing his pearly whites.

"Can I go inside?"

Naruto eagerly questioned, his gaze darting back and forth from his mother to his father over and over again. Mikoto gave them a quick nod, assuring them that this was fine.

"Go ahead, just remember no running or yelling in the house."

"Ok!"

Naruto didn't waste another moment before he darted inside, practically sliding across the freshly cleaned floor, racing down the hall.

"SASUKE! ITACHI!"

He started calling out, his voice echoing down the hall, Kushina could hear it from the front porch, a vein pulsing in her forehead, Minato gave a wary smile.

"I SAID NO YELLING!"

She shouted, eyes bulging out of her skull as she clenched her trembling fists. Mikoto and Minato laughed nervously, her husband placing a warm hand on her shoulder to calm her down. Kushina never really was the expert on controlling her anger. Naruto simply laughed at his mother's calls and slid to a halt when he reached Sasuke's door.

"Sasuke!"

His young friend was sitting in the middle of the room, stacking colorful blocks onto each other in a certain tower like structure. His little tyrannosaurus-rex stuffed animal was sitting at his side, grinning and exposing his pointed, cloth teeth. Sasuke pressed his finger to his chin, furrowing his brows as he analyzed his tower, he didn't like how it was turning out. The moment he heard this familiar voice, though, his head whipped to the side, seeing his best friend standing in the hallway, his lips spread into the widest of smiles.

"Hi, Naruto!"

Sasuke gestured for him to come inside, Naruto obliged, falling onto his butt next to the tall tower Sasuke had created.

"Cool tower."

Sasuke wrinkled his nose, tapping it once, making it collapse to the floor in a pile of colorful blocks. Naruto blinked, his jaw dropping to the floor before he snapped his attention to the Uchiha. He looked a lot like his older brother, dark, intense eyes and black hair with his bangs framing his face. Sasuke wore darker clothes than the other, usually dressed in grey, black or even blue from time to time, also similar to Itachi.

"Why did you do that?"

Sasuke shrugged.

"Didn't like it."

Mikoto allowed Kushina and Minato into their home, sliding the door closed behind them. She ushered the couple into the kitchen where Fugaku, her stoic husband was reading the paper at the table.

"Fugaku, Kushina and Minato are here."

She lightly spoke, not wanting to rudely interrupt his reading time. Frankly in his opinion, it was the only time he had to his own thoughts. Every other second of the day he was taking care of the police force, overseeing Itachi's training or on missions, on the rare occasions he was home, he was incredibly quiet, keeping mostly to himself. The man pulled his paper down a mere inch, his eyes peering over it to take a look at their guests.

"Hokage."

He mused firmly, not a tinge of emotion to his voice. Minato paled, a wary grin quivering onto his lips, Kushina hugged his arm and laughed nervously. The two had known Fugaku since they were children, they practically grew up together, training at the same academy, traveling on missions and even raising two boys around the same age. However, Fugaku's hardened demeanor did always make them slightly uneasy, he never really spoke much, and when he did it was usually very cold. He wasn't the most outwardly affectionate person in the world, which made Kushina wonder from time to time how he snagged a woman like Mikoto.

"We've known each other long enough, Fugaku, just call me Minato."

Fugaku merely grunted, lifting the paper once more and burying himself within his reading. Seconds later a young male came trudging into the room, his black hair much longer and reaching his chin, dark eyes just like his brother and mother but with two creases under his eyes – almost making him look more mature than a ten year old.

"Itachi! It's been a while, look at how big you've gotten."

Kushina was beaming again, she thought Itachi and Sasuke were simply precious, she remembered when Itachi was just a baby, a bundle in Mikoto's arms. He gave a small smile, nodding to her respectively as well to his Hokage.

"Good morning Lord Hokage, Mrs. Uzumaki."

Minato smirked, raising his eyebrows at his wife.

"We should teach Naruto to be that polite."

Kushina scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and blowing a strand of hair from her face.

"Good luck!"

Naruto was a terrific boy, everything they ever dreamed about and more and he was the kindest kid you would ever meet. But he was a bit of a loose cannon, just like his mother. He frequently tried to mess with other adults in the village, racing all over the place and darting out of sight, screaming out random words that he found to be interesting – no matter how fowl and genuinely driving people mad. But they loved their son, oh, did they love him. He was perfect.

"I take it Naruto is here?"

Mikoto nodded, smoothing out her apron.

"Yes, he's with Sasuke in his room, why don't you go keep a watch over them to make sure they don't get into anything."

Her voice was almost somewhat frantic, he arched his brow as his smile suddenly turned into a smirk.

"Don't you mean so Naruto won't get into anything?"

Mikoto's eyes shifted about nervously, Kushina's head fell and Minato rubbed the back of his neck while bushing furiously. Their son was quite the handful, that was the understatement of the year. Itachi nodded before another word was spoken, he didn't need to be told twice to look after the boys and made his way to see his little brother and the spastic blonde.

"Mother told me to come watch you two..."

He froze as he reached the doorway, peering around the corner and seeing the display in Sasuke's room. Naruto was standing on Sasuke's dresser, his brother on the floor watching as the blonde desperately tried to stack endless amounts of blocks in a castle structure, much more elaborate than the tower Sasuke had previously built. There were boxes strewn all over the floor, toys spilled out on the carpet, left there in their attempt to locate more building materials. Naruto was teetering dangerously on his toes, leaning over a gap of pure air between himself and the castle. Sasuke was trying to keep it from wobbling on the bottom.

"What are you two doing?"

He snapped, eyes widening at how terribly close Naruto was to collapsing on the ground. Sasuke lifted his head with a bright smile.

"Big brother! Come help us!"

Itachi inched closer, afraid that if he made any sudden movements that he would cause the building of blocks to come tumbling down and Naruto along with it. The room was already a mess, if something like that were to happen and their father saw, he would blow a gasket.

"Naruto, you should get down from there, you're going to fall."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at him, grabbing another block that he shoved into his pocket and leaning over to place it on the very top.

"Don't be such a party pooper, Itachi!"

"Naruto."

Itachi grumbled as a warning, Sasuke laughed brilliantly, waiting for Naruto to put the last block on the top.

"Go ahead, Naruto!"

"It got it! I got it!"

Naruto inched to the very edge of the dresser, hiking up on his toes once more and reaching as far as he could upward to place the last block on the very top, Itachi winced, still drawing closer hesitantly as he prayed that Naruto successfully place it up there without falling, or least gave up. But it didn't seem as though the blonde was phased by anything.

"There we go!"

Naruto called out with glee as he finally snapped the last block into place, but Itachi saw what was coming, Naruto released a great cry as his feet slipped off the dresser beneath him, sending him tumbling to the ground. Itachi covered his eyes, not wanting to see how this would turn out. Naruto landed on his side with a massive thud, knocking against the castle and sending all of the blocks into the air. Sasuke quickly sheilding his head, a few of them bouncing off his arms, and even more of them landing on Naruto's head until all of them had finally landed in a giant mass on the carpet. Itachi finally gained the courage to look up, eyes squinted as he saw the huge pile of blocks strewn every which way, Sasuke glancing around, confused and surprised, and Naruto lying on his stomach, his tongue poking out and a green block resting on his spiky head.

"Ah, Naruto, you dope!"  
>Sasuke squealed, Naruto merely lifted his head, grinning as wide as ever as a nervous laugh escaped him. The older brother only shook his head, hearing footsteps bounding down the hall, great, the parents were coming, he knew this was going to happen. If only that little kid would listen once and a while!<p>

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke?"

The worried outcries of both mothers erupted down the hall as they came skidding to a halt when they reached the room. Both of them panting, eyes wide and the color drained from their faces. Itachi simply looked back at them with a shrug.

"I told him not to do it."

Naruto's optics were practically bulging out of his skull at the sight of his now fuming mother, her face melting into the color of her hair. Steam was practically spewing from her ears, her hands clenched into tight fists as Mikoto stood their, releasing a deep sigh of relief to see that nothing serious had occurred.

"NARUTO!"

Kushina screamed, Itachi took a great step back. Naruto felt a cold chill run up his spine, sliding away from his mother in fear of her temper, but still grinning as he found the whole situation quite amusing.

"Every single time! I told you to be careful!"

Sasuke was snickering in the corner, covering his mouth quickly when his older brother shot him a warning glare. He was lucky Fugaku hadn't been the one to come down and check things out, than he would have been in serious trouble.

"Sorry, Mother!"

Naruto immediately responded, his face turning red from embarrassment. Kushina simply shook her head, rubbing her temples to ease the pain that was pulsating through her brain.

"You're going to give your mother a heart attack."

Mikoto looked to her friend and giggled, the poor woman was so terrified the moment she heard the crash that her heart almost jumped out of her chest. Ever since Naruto was born she was always so afraid that anything and everything would happen to him. It was as if she was expecting Madara to sneak in through the window and steal him right from under her nose. The red headed female went to kneel before her son, lifting him back up to his feet and flicking the block off his head. He twiddled his fingers and she groaned.

"I know you're just playing, but promise me you'll be more careful next time."

Naruto smiled shyly and nodded.

"I promise."

She smiled in return, pecking her beautiful son on his forehead. He was her world, and she was absolutely paranoid about something happening to him. Kushina wouldn't stand for someone ever hurting her child again, he just needed to be a little more cautious.

"Good, I love you, Naruto."

Kushina's eyes glistened in the light as she relayed her most precious words to her boy, the words that only he and Minato were allowed to hear. He exposed his little white teeth again, swaying on his feet as she stood up again.

"Love you too, Mommy."

Her chest swelled with heat, her heart pounding against her chest as Naruto smiled up at her with the most beautiful face she had ever witnessed. How did she ever get so lucky to have a son like him? So full of life and love, her miracle boy.

"Now you two clean up this mess."

Mikoto sternly responded as Kushina rejoined her, the two young ones groaned, jutting their lips out in a pout.

"Do it! Or no dessert!"

She added as they began to walk away, their jaws dropped, not saying another word before they raced around the room, clumsily throwing blocks and the like into the boxes, tripping over each other and desperate to satisfy their sweet tooth.


	3. The Ninja Academy?

_Author's Note: So my internet has been acting up recently. I haven't been able to post chapters one at a time because of it. And for that I apologize. So I am just going to write as many of them as I can while the internet is down and then post them all when it's up again._

_Enjoy!_

Chapter Three: The Ninja Academy?

Naruto and Sasuke were now six years old, an entire year had passed in the blink of an eye. Minato and Kushina wondered every day how Naruto grew up so quickly, was it always going to be like this? If they took a nap, would Naruto suddenly be twenty years old, an accomplished ninja and getting married to a hopefully charming young lady? They had been previously warned that the time sped quickly after having a child, the days seemed so much shorter, they were more like minutes, and a year was about an hour to them. In just another year Naruto would be seven years old and starting at the academy, the establishment they both went to when they were children.

"You and Sasuke will be needing to make your decisions soon."

Kushina stated, spreading some strawberry jelly on toast while Naruto waited eagerly at the dining room table, his father sitting across from him, nodding in agreement.

"For what?"

His legs swung back and forth as he sat in the chair, his feet still not quite able to reach the ground.

"For the ninja academy."

"Ninja academy?"

Naruto's lips spread wide into a smile, bouncing excitedly in his chair as he turned to his father with glowing eyes. He had heard his parents talking about the academy a couple of times, mainly telling him stories about how they met and the people they worked with when they were younger. Naruto always wondered if he would ever be able to go to a place like that, it sounded like a dream! Minato had told him many stories of his adventures as a ninja and how he went about finally becoming the Hokage. Being Hokage was the greatest honor one could achieve, his father was noble, intelligent beyond his years, kind and powerful. Naruto wanted to be just the same! When he grew older, he wanted to be just like a his father, he wanted to become the Hokage of Konoha.

"Yes, when you turn seven you'll be eligible to join, which means we have to start teaching you some techniques."

Naruto squealed, flinging his hands into the air for a bright cheer. He couldn't believe it! The time had finally come, is father was going to teach him all of those cool techniques he had learned – he was going to become a ninja!

"Yes! Can we go now? Teach me!"

Minato chuckled, pleased with the sight of his son so thrilled by the idea.

"Not yet."

"But why not!"

Naruto whined, pouting as he leaned his chin on the table, his father simply shook his head, trying his hardest not to be phased by the award winning Naruto pout. Kushina entered the room with the jelly and toast, placing it before Naruto.

"You need to eat first. Naruto. Ninjas need food for strength, now eat your snack."

Naruto practically lunged at the meal.

"And don't inhale the entire thing just to get outside faster!"

She snapped, causing him to freeze. His groaned lightly before relaxing and picking at his snack as his mother wished, although trying to do it a little bit quicker so he could go outside. Minato grinned slyly, the thought of his son becoming a ninja was incredible. This day had come so quickly, he would finally be able to teach his son everything he had learned, passing the knowledge on to the next generation. The Hokage had confidence that his son was going to be a great ninja.

"Now Naruto, you're going to be dedicating most of your time to training, meaning that you won't have as much time to hang out with Sasuke or your other friends. You understand that right?"

Minato firmly warned him, wanting to make sure that he knew what he was agreeing to. Every ninja had to begin at a young age if they wanted to be up to speed. It was unfortunate in certain aspects, due to the fact that they were still children, and now their time to play and mess around was being cut short. Naruto nodded his head rapidly, licking the jelly from his lips.

"Yep!"

"Of course, your other friends are going to be training also. And there are going to be things about the training you might not like, you're going to have moments where you just want to stop trying. But you can't give up, ok?"

Naruto smiled with another nod, finishing the last of his toast.

"I don't give up, dattebayo!"

Kushina and Minato laughed, well their son was determined, that much was obvious. Naruto jerked from his chair, scurrying to put his plate in the kitchen before he sped back to meet with his father, tugging on the man's sleeve.

"Time for training!"

Minato stood, leading his son to the back door and Kushina followed, wanting to observe the progress her son would make with every step of the way. The family made their way to the backyard, the mother sitting on a porch chair while the other two went into the center of the grass.

"We're going to start off with very simple techniques. First I am going to teach you how to wield kunai and shuriken. But be careful with them."

His tone hardened at the last part, with Naruto having a reputation for being clumsy, he didn't want anything bad to happen to him while they were training together.

"Ok!"

Minato pulled out two weapons, his signature kunai, specially made only for him because of his special techniques, and then a shuriken, he held them at Naruto's level.

"This is a kunai, now they don't all look like this. Mine are made differently because of a special jutsu I use. Usually they consist of one point instead of three. And this is a shuriken, they have many different sizes of these, such as the windmill shuriken, which is much larger."

Naruto gazed at them with sparkling orbs, intrigued by every point of these bladed materials. He had only seen a few of them on rare occasions, or pictures of them in books. But he had never been allowed this close to them before.

"Awesome! Can I hold them?"

"Yes, but remember to be careful, they're sharp and they can really hurt you."

Minato handed them to his son, he would have to learn how to use them eventually, so he decided it would be best to teach him these basic things first. Naruto carefully took them, gripping the kunai handle tightly, lifting it up and down and testing its weight, and in the other hand he held the shuriken in his open palm.

"These are the two most basic weapons for ninja, you have to learn to use these before you can move on to more difficult ones."

"I'm ready!"

Minato smiled at his son's eager attitude, it really did remind him of Kushina when she was a young girl. Always ready to take on the next challenge, sticking her chest out and marching into battle like it was no big deal. Sure, it got her into trouble from time to time, but he loved it about her. And he loved it about Naruto as well.

"Alright."

Minato stood, grabbing a leaf from the ground and pinning it to a nearby tree.

"I want you to hit the leaf with your shuriken and kunai."

Naruto practically leapt full force into the air from the thrill of it all. In a split second he flung both of the blades towards the tree. Only they didn't exactly go where he planned for them to. The shuriken missed the mark completely, chipping off some bark as it whizzed past the tree and into the fence around their yard. Minato's eyes widened as his eyes followed it, well, he was somewhat close, he at least almost hit the tree.

"Dad look out!"

Naruto paled as he witnessed the kunai heading straight for his father, Minato whipped back around, releasing a call of fear before he slid to the side, narrowly dodging the blade which managed to clip off some of the hair from his bangs. Minato fumbled awkwardly to the side, catching his balance, his eyes wide as he glanced over at his now strangely cut bangs. Damn, if he hadn't dodged right at that moment, Naruto would have taken out one of his eyes.

"Naruto, your father is not the target!"

Kushina called to them from the porch, muffling her laughter with her hands. Naruto sent her a brief glare, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know that!"

Minato struggled to catch his breath and straightened up with a nervous smile, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry, Dad!"

"It's ok, Naruto! Practice makes perfect, now let's try that again, and this time let's try and stay away from throwing them at me!"

He chuckled a little at himself, he couldn't believe he had almost been taken out by his son. It was clear that it would need some working on, but he was willing to go for as long as it took until Naruto grasped everything. He swiveled around on his heels, sighing deeply as his heart beat calmed down significantly and he went searching for the missing weapons. The shuriken was lodged in the fence, and with a rough tug he managed to yank it out, and the kunai was not too far away in the bushes.

"Ok, let's try it again!"

He handed Naruto the weapons once more. The pair continued this until night fall, Naruto continuously attempting to hit the leaf target that was nailed to the tree. A few times he hit around it, but never the center, and by the time the sun went down, he was lying on the ground, panting on his back as Kushina rejoined them.

"Time for bed, that's enough training for today."

She smiled at her boy, his gazed up at her with tired, drooping eyes, fighting against all odds to stay awake when his body was begging for him to give in.

"But...but I didn't hit it...y-yet..."

"You can try again first thing in the morning. But a good ninja needs their rest or else they won't be able to continue."

She had never seen Naruto hop up so fast, wobbling a bit until he was leaning on his father's leg. Minato immediately hoisted him up into his arms, allowing Naruto to lean on his shoulder and close his eyes while they went back inside.

"You did very well today, Naruto."

He gently spoke into his son's ear, the boy blinked, giving a very weak smile in return.

"Really?"

"Absolutely, you're going to be a great ninja some day."

The entire time they were practicing the boy didn't complain even once. From time to time he seemed to become frustrated when he was so close to hitting the target, but he didn't let it get him down, he would simply snag up the blades and go for another round. And he was getting closer surprisingly quick. They brought their son upstairs to his bedroom, Minato gently placed him on the mattress, pulling the blanket over him while he snuggled against his pillow.

"Remember, training first thing in the morning."

"I'll remember!"

He rejoiced, Minato kissed the top of his head, allowing his wife to do the same before they inched out of the room, trying to be as silent as possible as they watched him drift away into dream land.

"We love you, Naruto."

He lifted his head with great struggle.

"Love you too..."

He whispered, his skull collapsing onto the pillow once more as he allowed himself to be taken away by the tempting hands of sleep.


	4. Kakashi: The Anbu

_Author's Note: I really appreciate that so many people have added this to their favorite stories list! You guys make me so happy, and I am incredibly glad that you all are enjoying it so much. You all provide me with the encouragement to continue writing! Thank you!_

_Enjoy!_

Chapter Four: Kakashi: The Anbu

Four months had passed since the inevitable beginning of Naruto's training, a few weeks after he had begun he managed to hit the leaf target, Minato and Kushina were so proud. So they had moved on to more difficult weapon maneuvers, teaching him how to defend himself first, before moving into the more complicated offensive moves. He was progressing at his own pace, and doing well, even picking competitions with Sasuke every chance that they got. The two friends had become each others motivation to becoming stronger. It was nice to see they were taking it so seriously, but he hoped that the two didn't go over board with it and ruin their friendship.

Minato was unable to help his son with training this afternoon, he was trapped in the office of the temple in the center of the village. Forced to finish his paper work and take care of his duties as Hokage. Suspicious activity was taking place in the areas around the village, making him a little uneasy, he had teams to assign to missions, and ninja to assess what was happening outside the gates.

"Lord Hokage."

The blonde's head shot up, creases of fatigue riddling the skin under his eyes. His lids drooping as he tried desperately to keep himself awake. He had been here for eight hours already, having had to come here before the sun was even in the sky this morning. But his day didn't seem to be coming to a close any time soon. His eyes somewhat widened at the sight of the teenager before him, Kakashi Hatake. A ninja whom he used to teach when he was only thirteen years old, now he was nineteen, adorning Anbu Black Ops attire, his spiky silver hair jutting out from his headband, and the usual mask covering the left side of his face. Beneath it, Minato knew he wielded the sharingan, the one he was given by Obito on the day of his untimely death, but he never quite understood why the boy wouldn't show his face. Even the Fourth Hokage had to admit that he was intrigued by it and wanted to know just what he looked like, as did everyone else he came into contact with.

"Kakashi! What are you doing here?"

The younger ninja cocked his brow in confusion.

"I was assigned to come here, told by your messenger that you had a mission for me...or did you forget?"

Kakashi felt a smirk tugging at his hidden lips, clearly the Hokage was exhausted. Kakashi knew he had a six year old at home, a spastic one at that, whom he was training, a temperamental wife and he was also trying to fulfill his duties to the best of his ability. Minato's head fell, fighting through his blurred vision to look at the file sitting right in front of him. In the midst of the jumbled words he could make out a few: Kakashi, Mission, and A-Rank.

_'Wow, I must be really losing it...'_

The Hokage ran his fingers through his hair, clearing his throat as he realized that he really did have a mission to give him.

"I didn't forget!"

He retorted, wrinkling his nose at the sudden realization that he really did need some rest and relaxation. He wondered maybe if Kushina would be willing to give him a massage later.

_'With Naruto ready for training? I doubt it...'_

He sighed at his own thoughts, chuckling a little at the mere image of Naruto bounding excitedly to the door when he finally got home. All of this stress and work would be worth it the moment he was able to step into his home, falling into his wife's arms and embrace his son.

"Right."

Kakashi responded, not convinced as he waited patiently for his former sensei to give him the details of the mission. He knew that strange occurances had been going on outside of the village, there was a lot of activity happening in the neighboring villages and it was making everyone slightly nervous. They didn't have any specific information as to what was going on, but all of the movement of enemy ninja was causing them to take action. They needed to figure out if their village was in jeopardy or not.

"Honestly, I keep forgetting you're an Anbu, Kakashi. It feels like just yesterday I was assigned to be your sensei."

"More like six years ago, Lord Hokage. It appears as though your aging is toying with your perception of time."

Kakashi struggled to retain his chuckle, Minato snapped him an annoyed glare, his sharp blue eyes flinging daggers at him.

"Since when am I old?"

His expression of frustration was immediately washed away and replaced by that of offense, touching his cheek. He was not old! He was only twenty-six, frankly he thought he was the perfect age. Kakashi shook his head with a light hearted laugh.

"Can you just give me the mission?"

Minato huffed and straightened out his papers, sliding his palm down his face as he took a good look at the description of the mission and the list of Anbu members he grouped together specifically for it.

"Alright, it's a simple mission, actually. There has been a lot of suspicious activity grouped around the western area outside of the village. Approximately 35 miles in that direction we have been seeing the most movement. We've received a few reports of travelers who have been attacked, even when they aren't carrying any precious cargo. These attacks are random and spontaneous, making it difficult to decipher their motives."

Kakashi absorbed every ounce of information he was being provided, knowing he would have to relay it to his team as soon as he left.

"Similar attacks have been reported in every direction around us actually, but the most of them have consisted around this point. The mission is for you and your squad of five to assess what is going on, check the perimeter and figure out whether or not these people are a danger to us. And if they are, I want you to bring them here, so that Ibiki may interrogate them to find out what they're after."

Kakashi bowed to his Hokage with rigid precision, giving him a nod before he walked out into the hall to greet his team of four other Anbu. Each one of them adorned their mask, Kakashi slid his over his face as well. Kakashi relayed his message to the team and they retreated to the front gates together.

"Alright you will each split up into groups of two, scour the area and I will go on alone. If anyone locates the targets, send flare up. We'll head to you as quickly as possible."

Kakashi gave the orders, each other his subordinates grunting in approval and understanding with the nods of their heads.

"Let's move..."

"KAKASHI!"

A chill ran up the teens spine as he heard that all too familiar, sharp voice. He heard the pitter patter of small feet behind him, and suddenly they vanished.

"Ugh!"

He released a pained grumble as he was tackled to the ground, his mask hitting the concrete with a loud thud as he landed on his stomach. The other four watched, expressions hidden by their mask, but each one of them twitching at the sight of their captain taken down so quickly.

"Kakashi! Kakashi!"

His head shot up, and he groaned, glancing over his shoulder to find the young blonde sitting on his back, his face glowing and his smile glimmering in the sunlight.

"Naruto...what are you..."

"NARUTO!"

And yet another unmistakable voice, Naruto turned to see the Bloody Red Habanero herself bounding towards him, her crimson locks flowing wildly in the wind, her violet eyes were hard like blades.

"I told you not to run off like that! Why don't you listen to me?"

Naruto swayed back and forth on Kakashi's back, seemingly comfortable and not at all concerned with how the man was sprawled across the ground.

"I wanted to say hi to Kakashi, Mom!"

A guttural growl erupted from the back of her throat as she swiftly picked her son up off of the Anbu, and placed him on his feet next to her. Kakashi struggled, but finally managed to wobble to his feet, rubbing the side of his sore cranium.

"Sorry about that, Kakashi! You know how he is, he just gets so excited when he sees you!"

She tried to ease him, smiling brilliantly at him, he turned to her, his shoulders slumped as he waved it off.

"It's no problem, Kushina."

He calmly responded, Naruto folded his arms behind his back, twisting his toes into the ground and kicking a few pebbles out of the way. Kushina propped her hands upon her hips, snapping her angry gaze to her son once more, he only giggled nervously.

"Sorry, Mom!"

Naruto beamed, his smile beaming up at her, she felt her chest heating up and her body finally relaxed. Somehow she simply couldn't manage to stay angry at him, not with that perfect little face. She brushed her hair out of her face and gave a great sigh.

"Just listen to me next time, alright?"

He nodded rapidly before racing to Kakashi's feet, staring up at him with wonder in his eyes.

"Want to play, Kakashi?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, his comrades still watching him and waiting for him to hurry up and deal with his business so they could carry out their mission.

"Kakashi can't play right now, Naruto. He's going out on an important mission, and we're delaying him, so we should get going."

His mother responded for Kakashi, the silver haired shinobi nodded to assure him that this was true. Naruto poked out his bottom lip in a pout, whining briefly, but he was so bored!

"Awe, man! There is no one around to play! Dad's at work so he can't train me and Sasuke is never around either! What am I supposed to do?"

Kushina smiled sadly at the desperate child, he so desired someone to spend some time with him. And not just his father, Kushina or Kakashi, but someone his own age. However, all of his other friends were busy with their training as well. Kushina felt a icy chill race down her spine, withdrawing a bit, her red bangs falling to shield her eyes.

_'It would be in your best interest not to have anymore children.'_

Sarutobi's words rang in her ears, she could still remember that exact moment, how she was feeling, the thoughts racing through her mind. The day she was told she shouldn't have another baby. Kushina never resented him for telling them this, it was the best route, she knew that. And she never once felt that she needed to have more children, she had her son, the boy she thought she was going to lose on the day of his birth. Naruto was everything to her, her light, her life, the very thing that kept her going, along with Minato. Those two were her world. But she always did become worried, especially now, that Naruto was becoming lonely. She never wanted him to feel that way, and she knew that if he had a sibling he would never have to deal with it.

Kakashi kneeled to Naruto's eye level, patting him on the head and ruffling his hair.

"Sorry, Naruto. But this is a very important mission that your father asked me to carry out. I must fulfill my responsibilities as a shinobi, you know that. When I return, I promise we will train together, how does that sound?"

He assured the boy, to be honest he was fond of the kid. Sure he had the tendency to be tiring and over excited, but there was something special about the boy, something that made others want to be friends with him. Naruto lit up once more, that incredible smile returning to his lips.

"Awesome!"

Kakashi stood once more, a smile adorning the face hidden under the mask, Naruto clasped his mother's hand once more, she gripped it tightly, feeling that familiar tingling sensation flow through her at the simple touch of her son's hand. She lifted her face so she was hidden no more, a weak grin on her features.

"Be careful, Kakashi."

He only nodded in response, Naruto waved rapidly and he chuckled before he and his team set off. Vanishing in a blur, the team of five sped towards the location of their mission, 35 miles to the west of the village, there was nothing there, really. Just more land and forest, possibly a small dirt path leading the way to Konoha, but nothing significant for people to be attacked.

About forty minutes passed and Kakashi halted on a nearby tree branch, there was a very small clearing, leading to a stream, flowers blooming in every direction. It was a quaint little area, nothing suspicious to be seen so far.

"Let's split up, remember what I said about the flare. And also keep in mind that Lord Hokage wants us to bring them back alive."

"Yes!"

They all replied, and in an instant they had disappeared as well, leaving Kakashi to his own devices. He dropped down to the ground below, his steps quiet and cautious, his senses on high alert. His gaze darted to every corner of the field, hearing nothing but the rushing of the water in the stream, for a moment he caught his reflection, taking it in for a second before he tore himself away, trailing down the stream.

The sun was beating down upon his back, the swelling of heat around his body causing pebbles of sweat to form on his brow. His strides became slower, his eyes darting around as he suddenly felt the air around him becoming thick, almost as if he were walking through a fog of pure sweat.

_**Snap!**_

Kakashi froze, his fingers brushing the handle of his kunai as he heard the sudden breaking of a twig. His body stiffened, and something sparked in his brain, his attention shifting to a small section of shrubbery. Kakashi waited, brows narrowing as his fingers twitched, another sound, just one more sound and he would know for sure.

_'Come on...make a move.'_

His joints and muscles started to ache, his legs and arms trembling. But he didn't dare move an inch, whatever it was that was in the air, it felt wrong. Kakashi was in their territory now and if one of his muscles spasmed even once, he would no doubt be under attack. So he waited, eyes firm on the bushes to his right.

_'Come on!'_

_**Snap!**_

A surge of chakra flared in the shrubs, and his heart began to pound roughly against his chest, he had them now!

_'Got you!'_

In one swift motion he gripped his kunai, flinging it into the bushes, there was a loud rustle, the sound of a blade making impact and then a thud. Kakashi didn't waste another moment, racing in the direction of the enemy, he had to have gotten them – not with a fatal blow, but he had to have at least pinned them.

Kakashi pushed the branches and leaves aside, peering through the brush. Kakashi felt a sharp gasp pulled from his lungs, his eyes widening at the sight before him. His kunai was lodged into a tree, he had missed his target – but what was next to it wasn't what he expected.

"What the hell?"

He gaped, the air being sucked out of him, his stomach contracted as if he had just been punched in the stomach. To the right of the tree, and his blade, a small girl rested. Her knees pulled to her chest as she quivered violently in the grass. Her eyes were pressed tightly closed, a mass of short, tangled red hair sticking to her tear stained cheeks. Her skin was deathly pale, dirt smeared across her neck and face, and she was dressed in tattered, ripped up white robes. By the looks of her Kakashi estimated she couldn't be any older than Naruto. But what was a little girl like her doing all the way out here?

"Little girl?"

The tone in his voice softened dramatically, dropping to one knee beside her, he placed a warm hand on her arm. She winced harshly and immediately recoiled, hiding her face in her sleeves – or what was left of them.

"Hey...I'm sorry. I'm not here to hurt you, I thought you were someone else."

He mentally cursed himself for making such a foolish mistake, had she not dodged he would have been responsible for the death of a six year old. But he wasn't wrong about there being something sinister in the air, someone was nearby, but she wasn't the one causing it, the aura of their chakra wasn't the same.

"I promise I won't hurt you. Please, trust me."

Kakashi rubbed her arm soothingly, she was shaking like a leaf, where did she come from?

"I am Hatake, Kakashi. A shinobi of Konoha. I can help you."

Suddenly the girl seemed to calm down, she sniffled and slowly lifted her head out of the concealment of her arms. Her eyes opened, only to reveal two pools of blue/green, they were beautiful, he thought, he had never seen anything like them. And her hair, so much like Kushina's. Kakashi quickly shook the thought away, obviously the mention that he was a ninja from Konoha got her attention.

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

The girl simply looked at him, a film of tears glazing over her precious eyes, a few more drops sliding down her cheeks, making trails in the dirt on her face. She struggled to sit up, her limbs were burning, and her chest was throbbing with the pain one only gets from having run long distances. Kakashi helped her up, but as he touched her right arm, she flinched and pulled away. Her expression twisted into that of sheer pain, holding her wrist. Only then did he notice the crimson stain on what was left of her white sleeve.

"You're injured."

Kakashi held out his hand, the girl only watched him cautiously, debating whether or not she should let this man help. He did just throw a kunai at her after all, he could have killed her.

_'Konoha...K-Kakashi of...Konoha.'_

The words replayed in her mind, Konoha is where she was supposed to be, but she hadn't reached it in time.

"It's ok, you can trust me. If you're wounded we need to get it cleaned up before it becomes infected."

For a few more moments she eyed him, finally gaining the courage, she held her trembling hand out. Kakashi took it gently in his own, peeling the cloth away from the inflicted area. She wrinkled her nose as she felt the cloth picking at her tender, exposed nerves. He finally removed it all, and suddenly he felt all of the blood drain from his face. It was a nasty sight, the wound was messy, it almost looked like someone attempted to tear the flesh from her wrist. It was oozing with blood, dripping from her fingers onto the grass, and around the edges it had turned a sickly black color from where the blood dried.

"What happened?"

He looked up to her at this question, but she was turned away, whimpering and crying still, it was clear she didn't trust him enough to say anything just yet.

"We're going to get this cleaned up."

Kakashi reached behind him, pealing a small medical kit from the pouch strapped around his waist, he pulled out some gauze wrap and cleaning solution, which he dabbed on a white cloth.

"This is going to hurt."

The girl only nodded, biting her bottom lip and squeezing her eyes shut to brace herself. Kakashi began to clean the wound, and she suddenly felt a stabbing pain shoot through her entire arm, her jaw clenched tighter until a cut formed on her lip. He cleaned around the edges, removing all of the leaking blood and the crusted blood, he needed to get it as clean as possible. Once he was finished he flipped to a dry end of the cloth, dabbing it lightly before pulling away.

"Now we just need to wrap it."

Kakashi unraveled his gauze, and once he was about to bind her wrist he froze. His eyes focused on her wound completely, this wasn't a simple gash, no it didn't even look like anyone cut or sliced her. It wasn't a clean enough swipe for that. Now that the blood was finally gone, he could see what it really looked like, he felt his chest grow suddenly cold – like icy blades were pressing into his chest, searing through his skin. There was just no way.

_'A bite mark?'_

He thought, analyzing the mark, it looked like something had taken a bite out of her, but what? It didn't look like the teeth marks of any animal he had seen. His eyes shot up to her once more, letting the thought slide for now as he wrapped her wound tightly to prevent any outside bacteria from getting in.

"See? That wasn't so bad."

She pulled her arm back, gripping it against her chest.

"It's alright if you don't want to talk. But I have a few questions for you, and you can just nod or shake your head accordingly, ok?"

The child nodded to show she understood.

"Are you alone?"

She nodded.

"Do you live around here?"

She shook her head.

"Do you have a family?"

The girl seemed to withdraw further into herself, bringing her knees to her chest, the tears flew rapidly down her cheeks. But she shook her head again.

"Do you have a clan?"

Her head shook furiously now, clenching her fists as she buried her face into her hands. His face fell, what in the world was she doing out here all alone?

Kakashi glanced around, no flares in the sky yet, it appeared as though his comrades were no closer to completing the mission than he was. He knew that he needed to continue, he couldn't return to the Hokage empty handed with no information. But he couldn't just leave her here, it was apparent that she was in need of help.

"Come with me, I am going to bring you back to Konoha. The Hokage will know how to help you."

Her head perked up again at the mention of Konoha, she was supposed to go to Konoha. That was where she was supposed to be, but she hadn't made it. She thought she never would, but he was offering to take her there.

_'They...they wanted me to...'_

The girl slowly nodded, allowing Kakashi to pick her up, and she felt the sweet relief from being able to finally relax her limbs. Her legs hung limp, twinging with pain and she weakly wrapped her arms around his neck. He made his way out of the brush, and once again felt the thick atmosphere tightening around his lungs. This thing was still here. Kakashi continued to walk, his gaze settled on the child in his arms, a curious little girl, so full of mystery.

But suddenly his vision was clouded by a rising shadow, his head shot up, a black figure coming down upon him with great force. Something slammed into his jaw, sending him across the field and wrenching the girl from his grasp. Kakashi heard a high pitched shriek, and landed with a great thud on his back, with great struggle he lifted his head. A cloaked person stood between him and the girl, her frail little body twisted in a heap on the ground, those oddly colored eyes shimmering with pure terror as she watched the black figure. It lifted an accusing finger, pointing at the Konoha ninja himself, a pale hand emerged. He grunted in pain as he snapped his jaw back into place.

"Stay the fuck away from her! She's ours!"

**I would like to say thank you to IceButterfly88 for the review! I really appreciate the love, and I am so happy you like it so far! I am glad to see another person enjoys OC's! I hope you like her in the long run!**


	5. Silent Child

Chapter Five: Silent Child

Kakashi's jaw was throbbing, the bone pulsating with pain as he gazed ahead at the cloaked being that was standing between him and the girl. It threatened him with an inhuman hiss, the harsh voice sounded vaguely female – but there was something distorted about it. Their voice was dark, hoarse and almost demonic, he was almost afraid to see what was being concealed under the hood of that cloak. Kakashi propped himself up on his elbows, keeping a close eye on this person, so they were the the one causing the thickness in the air. His blood ran cold, something just wasn't right about this whole scenario, but now at least he knew what these people were after.

_'They want the girl for some reason, she was running away from them.'_

He carefully analyzed the situation, his eyes glancing to see the child every once and a while, making sure that she was alright. The girl seemed physically ok, her body battered just a little more from the rough impact as she hit the ground, but what worried him was the look on her face. Her eyes were wide, tears flowing even more rapidly than before, and her flesh was a ghostly pale white, as if all the blood had just drained from her system. She was scared of this person, not only scared – terrified. He knew he had to get her away from here.

"You filthy little Konoha parasites!"

It snapped, voice rising in pitch, their hand was quivering, the body stiff and feet planting firmly into the ground.

"You won't have her! She belongs to us!"

Kakashi grunted, keeping his focus on this person before him. Based on her statement he concluded that there had to be more hiding out. He couldn't sense anyone else around, but that didn't mean she couldn't signal them before he had the chance to make a move. The kick to his face was powerful, they were strong, whoever they were.

"Why do you want the girl?"

He called out, figuring he could distract her momentarily by conversation. Easing his hand closer to his hip, reaching for the flare as discreetly as he could, he had to alert his teammates. The person withdrew their hand, standing erect, his eyes bored into the black abyss beneath the hood – his mind racing as he tried to decipher who it could possibly be. Kakashi didn't see any headbands to dictate where they were from, and their garb wasn't familiar to him at all – he had never seen these people before. Which gave them the upper hand, because they already knew who he was.

"I don't owe you any explanation, you insolent fool! Konoha will not take the girl!"

As she spoke the name of his village, her voice darkened, she was undoubtedly female, he thought. The woman slumped over, he could see that she was shaking, taking raged breaths deeply as she clenched her teeth together. His hand moved an inch closer to the flare, just a little longer and he would be able to alert his comrades. His fingers stopped, the tips of them just barely brushing the handle of the flare, he was so close, but any sudden movements and she would come after him.

Kakashi watched her, and suddenly his body felt tense, beneath the cloak he could see two eyes, they were a brilliant silver, shining in the rays of the sun. They contrasted greatly with her dark wardrobe, and he swallowed a large lump that had formed in the back of his throat – once again feeling the sweat pool on his brow.

"If you turn back now, I will let you walk away with your insignificant little life. This girl belongs to us, and it is none of your business to interfere."

Blood red veins began to form around her irises, her optics looked crazed and wild. The woman whipped around, reaching her hand towards the girl, threads of pink chakra shot from the tips of her fingers, wrapping around the little girl's neck, wrists and ankles. She released a sharp cry of pain as she was being dragged through the dirt.

"You've caused us a lot of grief, child."

She whimpered, writhing against the ground as she desperately tried to remove the strands that were keeping her bound. But it was no use, these were chords of pure chakra, this woman was a puppet master, which meant he needed to be even more cautious if he didn't want to end up as another one of her play toys. His eyes narrowed, watching with frustration as the poor girl was being treated like an animal. Kakashi didn't know who they were, but he knew that he couldn't let them take her.

_'Shadow clone jutsu!'_

Kakashi abandoned the flare for the moment, forming the proper hand signs, a perfect copy of himself bursting into view beside the woman. Her head shot up as it unleashed its kunai, swiping at her, she jumped away, pulling the girl with her, but the clone continued to chase her.

"Now is my chance!"

He gripped the flare, pressing the trigger as he shot a red light into the sky, it popped in the air, crackling into twirling little lights.

"You little prick!"

She hissed as he leapt to his feet, racing towards her with his clone at his side.

There was a sudden rustle in the trees, two more cloaked figures emerged, one of them unleashed their chakra threads, grabbing his clone before it exploded into a mere puff of smoke. The other one did the same, pink threads darting towards him, he dipped back and forth, narrowly dodging them as they pierced into the earth.

"Get him!"

The silver eyed beast commanded, and soon the other two were at his heels, running him down. He felt the pads of his feet grinding into his sandals, but he didn't stop, his eyes pressed firmly ahead, his only option was to remove the girl from their clutches.

Suddenly something else jumped from the trees, glancing over his shoulder he could see the rest of his team joining the fight. Two of them threw shuriken, pinning the cloaks of the ones who were chasing him to the ground. Before they could get away, one of them bound them together using an earth style technique, wrapping them in vines. This was his chance, Kakashi didn't have anything standing in his way now. Twirling a kunai around his index finger, he threw it full force at her, in mid flight he once again formed the hand signs for shadow clone, another copy of himself forming behind her, wielding a kunai of his own. She gasped, barely dodging the first, but the other one sliced into her shoulder, cutting her sleeve as blood streamed down her arm. Impulsively she gripped it with her other hand to stop the blood flow, releasing the chakra threads. Kakashi slid over to the little girl, grabbing her before she rolled into a tree, while his copy grabbed the woman, wrapping his arm tightly around her neck, pointing a kunai to her back. She coughed, her throat closing up slightly as she felt her breathing being constricted.

"Are you alright?"

Kakashi peered down at the little girl who was huddled in his arms, the areas where the puppet strings held her were red and inflamed. What did these people want with her? She coughed a bit, blood streaming down her chin, which he gently wiped away with his thumb, her wet, glimmering eyes gazed up at him, pleading as her bottom lip quivered.

"You're safe now."

The child leaned against him, gripping his cream colored vest as she buried her face into his chest. Kakashi gripped her tightly, lifting her up as he returned to his feet, approaching his comrades and their hostages.

"What's the report?"

One of the Anbu questioned, panting as he held the seal in place, the others waited.

"It appears as though these people have been the ones staging the attacks. They were looking for this girl.

He gestured to the body in his arms, they perked up curiously. They went to all this trouble for a little girl? Kakashi reached his men, seeing that his clone was still holding up well against the other.

"She has one small injury, but she will be fine. But we'll be bringing these three back with us."

They nodded in agreement, they were to be interrogated by Ibiki, and he never failed to produce fantastic results with his victims. The man was a master at psychological warfare, he could get people to say anything by simply talking to them.

"We'll be bringing you back to our village to be interrogated, and you're going to tell us why you've been attacking our villagers and are after this girl."

Kakashi spat in the direction of the first woman, being held by his copy. She choked a little, clearing her throat before she let out a muffled laugh.

"In your dreams, you Konoha insect!"

She pressed her palms together, and the two figures who were being bound by the vines vanished in a puff of smoke. Kakashi mumbled an incoherent curse, shadow clones. He had been so focused on retrieving the girl that he didn't even notice. Clearly this woman knew what she was doing. Before he could even blink the woman whipped around, turning the kunai on his clone and making it disappear as well. She panted, holding her wounded arm as she slowly backed away from the group, the Anbu inched closer, prepared to chase her down.

"In due time you will see why we desire the girl. She'll infect you just like the rest of us!"

Her chest heaved up and down, and in a flash of black she was gone, leaving behind only the echo of a sinister cackle drifting in the wind.

"Find her!"

Kakashi demanded before his team split up on the search, he waited behind and heard a whimper. Again he turned to the little girl, she was shaking again, absolutely horrified. She knew why these people were after her, she knew what they were planning to do, and from the sight of her he could tell they were terrible things.

"It's alright, you'll be safe in Konoha."

Again, at the mention of the word Konoha, she seemed to calm down.

Hours of searching went by, but still the team was unable to locate the missing woman, it was almost as if she simply vanished into thin air. She was no where to be found. Kakashi declared the mission over, right now his only concern was getting this girl back to the village. The Hokage would be very interested to hear what they had found out. So they retreated, whisking through the trees until they reached the welcoming gates. The sky was a mixture of red and orange, the sun peaking just slightly over the horizon, it was almost morning, they had been searching all night long. They were greeted as they approached the village, it was quiet now, families only just beginning to wake up. His team darted towards the Hokage's temple, he had to be there already, eagerly awaiting the report back from the mission.

The girl's tears had dried, her lids drooping with fatigue as she glanced tiredly around the new area. On the way in she saw the gates, and through misty vision she saw 'Konohagakure'. Her tiny lips creased downward into a frown, she had finally reached her destination, so why didn't she feel happier? She appreciated the warmth of the man who was carrying her, Kakashi, he said his name was – he saved her from the people who wanted to hurt her, the woman who had been chasing her for so long. He told her she would be safe now, was that really true?

Her skin erupted into goosebumps as she felt a sudden cool rush of air flow over her body, looking up she could see they were inside some building down, trailing up a set of spiral stairs. The came to a platform, a long string of windows lining the walls to give a perfect view of the sunrise. Her eyes widened, the sun was so gold, and the sky was so wondrous, like someone had taken a paintbrush and smeared the perfect group of colors together. She had never seen anything like it before. Where she was from, the sky was so different, it was always grey, the sun being constantly shielded by dark clouds.  
>"I'm going to set you down for a moment, you're going to meet the Hokage, and he is going to help you, ok?"<p>

The girl wasn't quite sure how to react, but somehow she trusted him, after all – he did save her life. She nodded, showing that she approved and he placed her carefully on her wobbly feet, she still felt so weak and so tired – the girl just wanted to collapse. Kakashi knocked lightly on the door when suddenly he felt something warm in his hand, looking down he could see that she was gripping his fingers with her little hand. His mouth formed into a thin smile, gripping hers firmly in return.

"Come in."

They heard the approving call of their Hokage from within the room, and he opened the door. Minato was sifting through paper work, and the lack of creases under his eyes displayed that he had managed to get more sleep while they were gone.

"Lord Hokage, we have returned from the mission."

A pair of heavenly crystal blue eyes shot up, noticing Kakashi and his team standing in the middle of the room.

"Already?"

He inquired while arching his brow, but then he caught something in his peripheral vision. Trailing his gaze down, he followed Kakashi's arm to see that he was holding the hand of a small girl. Her clothing was tattered and falling apart, she was marred with small cuts and bruises with red rings around her neck, wrists and ankles. Minato's eyes widened, his jaw dropping only a bit – but her attention was set on the floor.

"Kakashi?"

His breath hitched in the back of his throat. The red sun that leaked in through the windows casted a glow over the child, illuminating her beaten face, her tired eyes twinkling and her unique hair shining. He blinked, it was so similar to Kushina's, his stomach twisted into a tight knot, he always did love red hair, there was just something about it. But why did Kakashi have a this little girl in his office? Kakashi cleared his throat and once more had Minato's attention.

"We located the ones who were committing the attacks, they were scattered in the forest. I was confronted by a woman after I found the girl, she was cloaked so I didn't see her face. We didn't see any others but by the way she came for me I can only assume that she is their leader."

Minato nodded, folding his arms over the desk as he leaned closer, taking it all in.

"She was after the girl, but we're not sure why. Unfortunately, she managed to escape from us once I set the girl free."

Minato once more glanced at the child, but only for a second. She was young, he concluded she was most likely the same age as Naruto. But why would these people be after her? She didn't appear harmful, she looked terrified in fact.

"I'm sorry we were unable to bring back any of the culprits."

He bowed his head low, wishing that he had been able to do his job better. Minato pressed his hands onto the desk and slowly stood up, his eyes averted to the child.

"It's fine. At least we know they weren't targeting the village. And you managed to saved her life, that's what counts."

Minato just couldn't tear himself away, she was a beautiful little girl, she was sure to be even more luminous once the cuts and bruises faded, and once she had a nice bath. But the sight of her was so tough to look at, her shoulders were slumped, as she gazed shamefully at the floor, hiding from him. Why would anyone want to hurt someone like her?

Minato felt a tug on his heart, this uncontrollable pit was growing in his chest. He never wanted any child to have that look of pure sadness. Minato was compelled, compelled to help her.

"What do we know about this woman?"

He questioned, his tone stern and brows furrowed in a contemplative glare.

"The only physical aspect of her that I was able to see was her eyes, they were silver. I only saw one of her hands, but I could see that she was very pale, more than the average person. Which possibly means she might reside in a place where there is little sunlight. And during our fight I also discovered that she was a puppet master."

He replied, just as intrigued by the circumstances as his Hokage. It was simply strange, they had no idea why this woman was after the girl, especially when she seemed so harmless. But being a shinobi, they knew never to judge a person at first glance, they had no clue what this child was capable of.

"Alright, I'll alert the other jounin, you inform the rest of the Anbu. We'll make sure to keep a look out for this woman and the rest of her people in case they decide to come to us directly in order to get her."

They all nodded and the four behind him marched out in order to do as they were ordered. But Kakashi remained, still holding the girl's tiny hand in his own. He was warm, she thought, she wasn't used to feeling warm.

"She hasn't spoken since I found her. But she let me know that she's alone, she's got no family or clan, and she doesn't live around here."

Kakashi stated, sighing a bit as he felt her hand, she was just so young, and so fragile. It saddened them both to think about her being all alone out here with no one to turn to. Minato smiled weakly at her, but she didn't respond or look up, she just wanted to disappear.

"Well, it looks like she'll be staying here then."

Suddenly her head shot up, turning to look up at Kakashi, she gave his fingers a squeeze.

"Where will she stay?"

He wondered, Minato stroked his chin in thought.

"With you?"

The Hokage, she bounced up on her toes, tugging on his arm. He chuckled a little, rubbing the back of his neck, he wouldn't have minded taking care of the girl, truthfully. She seemed sweet, and at this moment he knew he had gained her trust. But he had to decline.

"I am out performing missions most of the time, Lord Hokage. I wouldn't ever really be able to be there for her at my current rank."

He felt the grip on his hand lessen, his heart sinking just slightly into his stomach, he wished he could help her, he really did. But at this moment, she needed someone who could be there for her, she was all alone, and right now that just wasn't something he could provide her with. Minato understood, making his way around the desk, he kneeled before the little girl, her head fell once more and he chuckled.

"Don't look away."

He lifted his hand and gently cupped her chin, lifting her back up to eye contact. She took in his features, the light shone on his perfect face, he had smooth, unblemished cheeks, amazing blue eyes and bright blonde hair. The girl found herself entranced by his deep pools of blue, his smile spread a little wider.

"You have very pretty eyes."

He spoke kindly, she felt her cheeks heating up, and soon they were flushed with pink. Minato brushed some of heir hair behind her ear, it was short, just reaching her chin, the ends were cut sloppily and were very frayed.

"You have the same color hair as my wife."

She kept her eyes on him even as he did this, and she felt his soft fingers trace ever so slightly against her cheek.

"It's beautiful."

Her blush darkened and he chuckled, Kakashi just observed.

Minato watched the girl, and in her eyes he could see a whirlwind of emotions, sadness, anger, loneliness and heartache. It wasn't fair that such a frail little girl would have to feel such things, her face was pleading, hoping that someone, anyone would take her in. Naruto was the same age as her, and he didn't even want to think about what it might have been like for him had he and Kushina been taken out of the picture. Minato didn't know what it felt like, to be completely alone...isolated.

And then it hit him, like a fist to the gut. She could stay with his family! They had plenty of room in their home for her. Naruto would have someone his age to spend some time with while he wasn't around, and Kushina always did say she wanted a daughter. They could take care of her, she needed a stable environment, a place she could feel she was safe and protected, what better place than his home?

_'I have to speak to Kushina first...'_

As much as he liked to believe she would be thrilled by the idea, he couldn't just waltz home with a child in his arms and expect her to take it lightly. No, not with her temper. He would have to call her in and discuss it. But he just knew, somewhere in his heart he had a feeling that this was a good idea.

"I am the Hokage of Konoha, as you may have been told. But if you want to, you can just call me Minato, alright? Whenever you're ready."

The girl nodded shortly.

"I think I may know just the place you can stay, but I have some details I need to work out."

Kakashi cocked his brow in curiosity, where was he going to send this girl?

"But first I would like to ask you..."

Minato took her free hand into his own, stroking it soothingly and she felt that unfamiliar warmth flow through her once more.

"How would you feel about staying with the Hokage?"

Kakashi's eyes widened under the mask, wait, he was offering her the chance to live with him and his family? That was almost unheard of! He supposed that Minato really felt something for this poor little girl.

She blinked at the offer, staring at his perfect smile. She curled her fingers around his, clasping his hand with a brief squeeze and her pale lips curled into the smallest of smiles. The girl nodded quickly, her head bouncing up and down and he laughed, patting her on the head.

"Great! I'll see what I can do."


	6. The Note

Chapter Six: The Note

Minato was pleased that the child seemed so eager to stay with him, admittedly he was a little worried that she wouldn't trust him right off as she seemed to cling to Kakashi. The Hokage ordered the young Anbu to stay with her while he made a phone call to his wife, he needed to address the issue with her before he made any final decisions. He didn't want to get the girl's hopes up, and he prayed that Kushina would understand, but he just didn't know anywhere else he could send her without making her feel like she was simply another after thought. Kakashi didn't mind staying with her, thinking that if they had some alone time he might even be able to make her talk. So they resided in one of the other rooms, sitting across from each other on the floor, she seemed a bit more at ease.

Minato tapped his finger nervously on his desk, cupping his chin with his elbow propped on the table. He called her almost an hour ago, and he was wondering what was taking so long. He thought this would be a good idea, it would ensure that the girl would be safe and secure. There was no place safer than the home of the Hokage, and on top of that, Kushina and Naruto were around all the time even when he wasn't, so she wouldn't be lonely.

_'Naruto would have someone to play with at least. All of his friends are out training all the time, he has no one to spend any time with.'_

He thought, stroking his chin as his brows furrowed in concentration. He didn't see a downfall, Minato didn't mind taking care of her, after all they had always hoped to have a second child. He just wasn't sure if Kushina would be feeling up to it, Naruto was a handful, after all. His head popped up when suddenly the door opened, and the love of his life walked in, a slightly worried expression on her beautiful face. Minato felt his heart skip a beat when she entered the room, he didn't know how she did that to him, but he was always so thrilled to see her.

"Minato, what's going on? You sounded so frantic on the phone, so I rushed over. But I had to leave Naruto with Jiraiya."

He let out a wavering sigh, she inched closer and took a seat across from him. When he called her, he said that it was urgent and told her to rush over as quickly as she could, she thought something might have been wrong. Hell, the first thing that popped into her mind when he said this was Madara. Kushina's mind ran through all of the possibilities, could she be in danger? Had he found out about Naruto being the Nine-Tails new host? But they hadn't given anything away, they had remained as inactive as possible after Sarutobi's suggestion.

"What's going on?"

She eagerly questioned, leaning towards him as she pleaded for an explanation. Kushina hoped it had nothing to do with Madara, she wouldn't know what to do if it did.

"Kakashi and his team returned from their mission this morning."

Kushina blinked, that was quick, they only just got sent out yesterday afternoon. Had they already figured out what was going on outside the gates?

"That was fast."

Minato nodded.

"They located the cause of the disturbances. Kakashi was confronted by a woman, we don't know much about her aside from small physical descriptions and the fact that she is a puppet master. The team insists that she is the leader of a group of people scattered in the forest. They have been the ones attacking our villagers."

Kushina relaxed slightly, spreading her fingers out on her lap. So far it didn't sound like Madara's doing.

"So why have they been ambushing our travelers?"

Minato cleared his throat.

"Kakashi found a little girl in the forest, and as it turns out, this woman and whoever she was with, are after the girl. We don't know why, because they failed to capture her. The child was brought back with them, and she looked very battered."

Minato said, his voice breaking for a moment as he remembered how beaten she appeared to be. This woman wanted to hurt her, that was for certain.

"A little girl?"

His wife perked up a little, straightening herself in her chair.

"Yes, she looks to be about the same age as Naruto."

The color drained from her cheeks, why would anyone wanted to hurt a child who was so young?

"Her life is being threatened by these people, so she is going to be staying here. But Kakashi cannot take her in, because he is away on missions most of the time. She needs to stay in a place where she will be looked after, and where she will be safe."

Kushina nodded, and the closer he drew to his point, the more anxious he became. Minato had no earthly clue how she would react to his suggestion.

"I think she should stay with us."

He finally blurted out, leaning back slightly away from her and squinting his eyes in preparation to be smacked in the head. Kushina merely looked at him, her brows rising at his sudden words, and there was silence in the room. Minato opened one eye to peer at her, still worried that she was going to burst into flame, leap across the desk and attack him for being so foolish, but for the moment she said nothing.

"K-Kushina?"

She seemed to snap out of her daze.

"You want her to live with us?"

He rose his palms in defense.

"Allow me to explain my reasoning!"

Kushina crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, her expression not giving one way or the other, not showing at all how she felt.

"I met the girl this morning, she was so young and she looked so...broken."

The last word hung in his mind for a few moments, he had never seen a child so distressed before.

"She has wounds all over her body, and she won't speak. Kakashi told me that she doesn't live anywhere near here, she has no clan...she has no family."

Minato's face fell, his heart pulsing uncomfortably in his chest, the knots in his chest tightening. To be so completely alone at such a young age, to have no one to look to when you needed help – he had no idea what it must have felt like. But Kushina did. His eyes darted up to her at the thought. His wife's country had been destroyed in the last war, her family and clan were gone as well.

"She's all alone, Kushina. And she needs help. I won't ship her off to some random house, or a hotel. The girl needs someone to be there for her, someone to take care of her and protect her. What better place than with us?"

He asked, placing his hand against his chest, her eyes fell to gaze at the intricate patterns of the wood on his desk.

"What about Naruto?"

Minato smiled a bit at her question.

"It will be good for both of them if we bring her in! She is his age, which means he won't be lonely anymore, he'll have someone to play with even when Sasuke and his other friends are unable to. And you know how our son is, he has this uncanny ability to make friends with whoever he talks to, he'll be able to help her open up."

Minato reached his hand out to this woman of his dreams, the person he wanted to see smile more than anything in the world.

"And you always did say you wanted a daughter, Kushina. We're not able to have one of our own, so why not take in a girl who truly needs us? A girl who we can do great things for."

Kushina glanced up at him again, her eyes slightly wide at this last statement. She felt cold all of the sudden, thinking about the words Sarutobi relayed to them. Being unable to have another child because it was too much of a safety risk for her and her family. But this child, she needed their help, could she really just turn him down? And he had a point, she did always want a daughter, a sister for Naruto to share his time with. But she just wasn't sure, was she ready to mother another child, she was so used to having a son she wasn't sure she would be good at taking care of a girl.

Her chest was beginning to ache, Minato said she had no family, no clan, no one to turn to. Kushina knew what it felt like, to have everyone you ever cared about and loved, wiped away right before your very eyes. It was a pain like no other, the isolation of loneliness – it was why she was always afraid of Naruto becoming the same way, without someone to play with. Kushina released a struggled sigh, her breathing becoming shallow at the mere memory of how she lost everything.

"Kushina...look at me, please."

Her violet eyes opened once more, his own widened as he found they were glimmering with tears. Minato continued to reach his hand out to her, begging for her to take it. He didn't want her to cry, he didn't want to remind her of her past, but he would never be able to forgive himself if he didn't help this girl.

"You're an incredible mother, Kushina. And I love you, with all my heart."

Kushina sniffled and nodded, silently listening to his words.

"You could do wonders for this girl, we can make sure that both she and Naruto don't have to ever feel the pain of loneliness."

A single tear slid down her cheek, she quickly wiped it away, letting his words sink in. She lifted her hand and slid it into his own, his warm fingers clasping around it. Minato smiled a little, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it, her perfect lips curled up at the corners into the most brilliant, shy little smile he had ever seen.

"Can I meet her?"

She inquired, he blinked, somewhat surprised, but agreed. Kushina had every right to meet the girl she might be taking care of soon. Minato squeezed her hand, leading her out of his office and down the hall to the room where she and Kakashi resided. Opening the door, he could see them still sitting in the same position as when he left. The Anbu turned, scrambling to his feet once he saw the Hokage and his wife.

"Kushina!"

The woman giggled at his greeting and waved to him. The girl on the floor simply sat there, alarmed slightly by Kakashi's sudden movements. Her uniquely colored eyes trailed over to see the Hokage from before, Minato, he said she could call him – and an unfamiliar woman. Her long crimson hair was flowing all the way down to the back of her shins, a purple pin keeping her bangs pulled away from her stunning violet eyes. The girl tugged at the frayed ends of her own hair, it did look very similar to her own, could this have been his wife? He did say her hair was just like it.

"This is my wife, Kushina."

Minato called over, the woman gazed at the girl, fiddling with her fingers nervously, but her husband urged her onward. Soon Kushina was sitting on her knees in front of the girl, each of them staring at one another with intense curiosity.

"Hello."

Kushina spoke gently, but the girl did not respond, as expected. Kakashi had yet to be successful in getting her to say anything since they had been alone.

"You have hair just like mine."

She pointed out with a grin, noticing how short and choppy it was.

"We have a very unique hair color, you know. It's a recessive gene, so not very many people are lucky enough to have it, did you know that?"

The girl shook her head, entranced by the beautiful woman sitting before her. She had the most magical smile, it almost reminded her of her mother.

_'Mother...'_

She thought, shaking it away almost as quickly as it popped up.

"Many people pay a lot of money in order to have hair like us, but nothing comes close to the original. I guess you can say we're kind of an endangered species."

She laughed at her own words, the girl continued to watch her, a thin smile tugging at her own lips. But she couldn't laugh, she no longer had the strength. Kushina eyed her for a second, taking in the details of her, how torn apart her clothing was, how she was in desperate need for a bath, and how small she seemed to be.

"I have a son who is your age."

Kushina told her, the child seemed to perk up even more, interested in all she had to say. After all, she might end up living with this woman and the Hokage soon, she needed to know all she could.

"His name is Naruto, he's very energetic and outspoken. But I think he'd like you."

Kushina really did believe this, she was a very pretty child, quiet, but she seemed sweet.

"My husband and I want to help you, would you like to live with us?"

Minato's eyes widened as his wife suddenly made the offer, he was sure she would need more time to think about it. But it appeared as though their meeting made her understand, Kushina couldn't just look at this girl and turn away, she was just as eager to help this child as her husband. The small red head slowly nodded, the tiny smile widening just a bit. The only two places she wanted to stay would be with them or with Kakashi, she didn't know anyone else, who else would even want her?

She promised that she would make it to Konoha and find a place to stay, and she made it this far, they would have wanted her to live with the Hokage and his family. He was the most powerful man in the nation, he would keep her safe, they would care for her.

_'Go! Run far away from here! Get to Konoha, find someone who will take you in! Find someone who will love you, just as we do!'_

Those words replayed in her mind, that familiar frantic voice causing her heart to race. She wanted to stay with them, as long as they wanted her. Kushina was beaming, her decision had been made, in fact, it had been settled the moment she laid eyes on the child. Such a beautiful girl, she thought, she would have wanted her daughter to be just as pretty. Kushina knew she couldn't abandon this child.

"Great! Now let's get you home, we can get you all cleaned up. And I bet you're hungry, am I right?"

Again the girl nodded, somewhat reluctantly this time as she placed her hands over her grumbling stomach, it had been a long time since she had eaten a hearty meal. Kushina held her arms out to the girl, and she fell into them, allowing the woman to pick her off the ground and carry her to the door where Minato was waiting with a wide spread grin.

"Thank you, Minato."

He nodded, all he ever wanted was to make her happy. She hopped up on her toes and pecked him on the lips before he stepped to the side to allow them through. The girl rested her head on Kushina's shoulder, her eyes drooping from fatigue, she was exhausted. She had spent so much time running, trying to stay ahead of the woman who wanted to hurt her, who wanted to take her back to that place. It felt good to not have to run anymore.

She closed her eyes, figuring that for a moment she could rest them. Kushina leaned her head against the girl in return, stroking smooth circles on her back to soothe her. She felt terrible for her, someone at such a young age should never have to go through this, but unfortunately, in their world it happened every day. She was just lucky she had the ability to help this one. Kushina glided into their home, on the way their she received a few passing glances from some villagers and people she knew, all of them curious about the girl she was carrying.

"We're home."

Kushina recited, and she girl lifted her head, taking in the details of the quaint home, it was smaller than the one she had been used to. But she liked it, it was warm, and she was so used to cold. Kushina set her back onto her feet and held her hand out, which the child quickly took.

"I'm going to set up a bath for you and get you some clothes to change into. We don't have any girl clothes small enough to fit you, so you're going to have to use some of Naruto's, if that's alright."

She nodded to assure that she didn't mind, personally, she would have changed into anything as long as she didn't have to wear these robes anymore. Kushina led her into the glimmering white bathroom, it was spotless, not a smudge of dirt to be seen anywhere. She turned on the water, adjusting the temperature accordingly and then helped the child out of her clothes. Kushina lifted her up and placed her in the tub, she sank into the water which reached up to her neck.

"I'm going to go get rid of these and find you some other clothes."

The girl didn't respond and merely ran her palms over the surface of the water, watching as it made faint ripples. The older red head darted out of the room, taking the tattered robes over to the trashcan, she wouldn't even bother to keep them, they were so worn down they wouldn't be usable anymore anyway. She sifted through the folds of it, just making sure the girl didn't have any valuables she was throwing away.

"Huh?"

Kushina's fingers brushed against something in one of the pockets and she pulled it out, it was a small, folded piece of paper. It was slightly crumpled and torn at the corners, and it looked as if something was written on it. The woman unfolded it carefully, not wanting to ruin it any further, only to find that it was a letter.

_"To whomever may receive this,_

_ If you are reading this letter, than that means my daughter is in your care. And that also means that my husband and I were unsuccessful in leaving with her. If you are reading this, she is alone, and we are dead._

_ I hate to press such a burden on you, I know a child is a great deal of work. But she is in danger. There is a woman who is after her, who wishes to harm my baby, and we had to get her away from this place. This woman has a group of followers, people who want my daughter dead. We had to get her out of this place in order to protect her. I hope you understand._

_ Please, take care of our child. Care for her and love her as we do. She means everything to us. I promise you, she is the sweetest little girl you will ever meet. I know she may be sad now, and it may take her time to heal. But trust me, there is no greater gift in the world than spending time with her. She is quiet, but loves to play outside. She can be a little messy sometimes, but she'll help out around the house. She loves to sing, and to write. Her favorite game to play is hide and seek, and her favorite food is rice (any way you make it, she will eat it). She gets along great with other kids, she can make friends with just about anyone._

_ Our last wish, as her parents, is for her to find someone who will take care of her, love her and protect her. We are so sorry that we couldn't be there for her. But she needs you. The woman who seeks her, her name is Adelle, do not let that woman find her. I beg of you._

_ Tell our daughter that we love her, with every fiber of our beings. And let her know that we will always be with her. She is our world. _

_ Thank you, for taking her in, and thank you for helping her. _

_Sincerely, _

_Saito and Hitoru Sukiyaki"_

A few of the words were smeared, but Kushina was able to make them out just fine. However, as she allowed each word to sink in, it seeped into her heart. Her violet eyes welled with burning tears, and soon they were streaming rapidly down her cheeks, dripping from her chin. Kushina's chest was throbbing and acid boiled in her stomach. A letter from her parents, her long gone parents who wanted nothing more than for her daughter to find a better life and be safe. Her parents were dead. She almost couldn't believe what she had just read. This poor child, left alone in the world, but her parents loved her so desperately, so much so that they sent her away from wherever they were, hoping that she would find someone who would love her as much as they did. Kushina pressed the note to her chest, gasping for air and trying to stop the tears from drowning her. She would do just as her parents desired.

"I will love her, I promise."

She whimpered, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, trying to compose herself. She folded it up and put it in her pocket, she would have to show Minato. But for now she needed to stay strong for the girl who needed her help.

And this woman, Adelle, she was the one who came after her in the first place. She wanted to kill the little girl, but why? She didn't understand why someone would want to murder a girl who was so young. It was the same concept as Madara coming after Naruto, and she simply wouldn't allow it.

Adelle wasn't going to get anywhere near her.


	7. Meet Sarah Sukiyaki

_Author's Note: I would just like to say thanks again to IceButterfly88 for the review! I really do hope you like her, as well as the other readers._

_Hope you are pleased with another chapter! Review, please!_

Chapter Seven: Meet Sarah Sukiyaki

Kushina decided for the moment that it would be best to keep the note to herself. The girl had been through enough today, she didn't need to feel the burden of the note her deceased parents left her, bearing down on her shoulders. She was most likely torturing herself over it already, Kushina didn't need to be a reminder. She remembered what it was like when she lost her family, and her entire country, the Land of the Whirlpool has been erased from existence, with her being the last remaining member alive. For years, she would never allow anyone to speak about it, because it would sent her into either such a deep depression, or a horrible rage. Losing something so precious to you, it was simply the worst sensation in the world.

Kushina helped the girl out of the bath when she was done washing herself and wrapped a towel around her, drying her hair and body up. She lent her a pair of Naruto's pajama pants and a blue t-shirt, they were slightly baggy on her, but at least they were clean. Kushina then proceeded to bring her into the kitchen as she made her some hot rice with chicken, thinking back to the advice in the letter. The child sat quietly at the table, watching the wood as she waited for her meal to be finished.

"Oh, my lovely Kushina!"

A booming voice echoed through the house, her head shot up and she raced from the kitchen only to find Jiraiya had entered, carrying Naruto on his shoulders. She sighed deeply and shook her head with a smile, reaching her arms out to her son and lifting him into her arms.

"Hi, Mom!"

She pecked his forehead, the perverted older man standing there, pushing his chest out with a wide grin.

"Did you have fun with Jiraiya today?"

He nodded, admittedly she was a little concerned that he was going to end up bringing Naruto with him to finish his research.

"What did you guys do?"

Naruto blinked as he gazed up at his mother, replaying the events of the day over in his mind.

"Jiraiya took me to the hot springs! All these ladies were walking around and he kept staring at this hole in the wall! I asked him what he was doing and he just said research..."

He wrinkled his nose at his confusion over the matter, he never did understand what that old man meant by research. Naruto was never allowed to look, but it always had something to do with women. Kushina's eyes thinned into slits, narrowing her brows down at the older man, who took a huge step back, sweating profusely now as he trembled before her seething wrath.

"What did I tell you about bringing my son with you to do your perverted research?"

She shouted, the girl in the kitchen stiffened at the mere sound of her hardened tone, who was out there with her?

"I-I'm sorry, K-Kushina! But...I have an explanation you see...I am working on a new book and..."

"SHUT UP!"

Kushina shrieked and Naruto winced at his mother's high pitched voice. She set him down on the floor, swiftly placing her hands on her hips as she stomped towards the man, he continued to back away until he was pressed against the wall.

"He is six years old, Jiraiya! He is too young to be tagging along with you while you stare at women all day! I didn't leave him with you to do that, I expected you to look after him!"

Her voice was harsh, she couldn't believe he was drag her young son to do such things. Naruto was too little now to understand what it all meant, but if this persisted, she might just have to beat the old man into the pavement.

"I did look after him! See?"

He gestured to the boy who just stood there, confused and intrigued by his mother's fury.

"He's fine! And he didn't see anything!"

That goofy grin remained on the man's features, but he didn't have her convinced. Jiraiya was in the gutter and he knew it, Kushina released a horrific growl and lifted her fist, pounding it repeatedly against his skull until he was left twitching on the floor. Kushina shook her hand out, her fingers aching and sore, but she didn't regret it, not even a little bit. Jiraiya needed to learn the meaning of limits and boundaries or else he was going to get an even worse beating. She was surprised Tsunade hadn't murdered him already.

"S-Sorry...so sorry, Kushina..."

He whimpered in pain as he writhed on the floor, a swollen lump rising on his head. Naruto giggled and turned to make his way into the kitchen for a snack, but his eyes widened when he came face to face with someone he didn't recognize.

The girl was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, watching with great concern as Kushina, her new caretaker beat up a much older man in the living room. But then she caught another pair of fantastic blue eyes, ones that looked just like Minato's. It was a little boy, around her age, with spiky blonde hair and markings on his cheeks – the two watched each other intensely for a few seconds. Naruto slowly lifted his hand to point at her, tilting his head to the side, who was this girl and why was she in his house? He had never seen her before, and she was wearing his clothes.

"Mom!"

Kushina whipped around, smiling as if she hadn't done anything wrong, and then noticed the situation. Her son had seen the girl that they were taking in, she rushed to his side.

"Who is this?"

She gripped her son's arms briefly.

"Naruto, I have something I need to tell you."

She turned him around so that he was facing her, he was more confused than ever.

"While Kakashi was on his mission he found her, she was hurt and in a lot of danger. There is a woman who is out to hurt her so he brought her back to your father. She doesn't have anywhere to stay, sweetie, her family and her clan is gone and...she needs our help."

Kushina explained to him in a light whisper, as she did this Jiraiya was slowly beginning to come back to reality, listening in on her conversation and gathering the information he needed.

"Your father and I agreed that she would be living with us. I know she is borrowing your clothes for the moment, we haven't gotten the chance to buy her any of her own yet...but I would really appreciate it if you made her feel at home here, and tried to make friends?"

Naruto blinked, trying to take in everything his mother was telling him. This girl didn't have a family or clan? No place to call home. So she was going to be living with them from now on?

"Please, Naruto, she needs us."

Kushina pleaded, knowing her son was great at making friends. If Naruto was able to get close enough to her, he might be able to get her to open up and actually say a few words. He glanced over his shoulder at the person in question and then returned his attention to his mother. A magnificent smile plastering onto his lips, he nodded, of course he would make friends with her! He didn't even know why she would bother asking, he had no trouble making friends.

"Got it!"

Naruto felt bad for her, seeing as how she had no home and no family, she was all alone here. Besides, now he had someone new to play with! He wouldn't have to occupy himself by picking at the carpet in his room anymore. Kushina always got on him about doing it, but what else was he supposed to do when there was no one around to train him? Naruto scurried away from her, racing towards the new girl that he was going to be spending a lot of time with in the future. His smile was still wide as ever, he held his arms out to her.

"Hi! I'm Naruto Uzumaki, it's nice to meet you!"

She only watched him with her brow arched in confusion, what was he doing? When he noticed her lack of reaction, he inched closer.

"Come on, hold your arms up! I don't bite!"

The girl glanced down at her arms before hesitantly raising them shoulder height, he took one more step closer and brought his small arms around her, bringing her against him in a tight embrace. Her eyes were wide, cheeks burning furiously as they turned bright red to match her hair, but she didn't move her arms.

"It's ok! It's just a hug, friends hug each other!"

She was frozen, immobilized by his sweet words.

_'Friends?'_

The word hung in her mind, it was so unfamiliar, so foreign to her that she hardly knew the meaning. But she couldn't shake the uncontrollable warmth that filled her stomach and chest as he held her there, squeezing her gently while giggling. It felt nice to be held this way, the last time she had been hugged like this...she was with her parents. The girl slowly slid her arms around Naruto's waist in return, holding him very carefully and gently, leaning her chin on his shoulder and taking in the scent of his vibrant hair. Kushina watched in awe from the living room, Jiraiya coming to her side and observing the surprising sight as well. She couldn't believe Naruto managed to do this so quickly.

"You'll like it here, I promise! And I know we just met but...we would make good friends, I think!"

Naruto waited to see if she would say something, slightly perturbed by her silence, but she didn't respond, only sat there in the hug with this boy. The son of the man and woman who took her in and promised to take care of her. Naruto gave her one last squeeze before pulling away.

"You don't have to say anything yet, but we'll have lots of fun!"

Kushina found herself smiling, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. How in the world did she get so lucky to have a son like Naruto? He was perfect, being so kind and welcoming to this girl even when he just met her.

"That boy really is something."

Jiraiya stated, smirking as he stroked his chin, he always found their boy to be quite interesting. There was something about him, something that made people love to be with him, no one really knew why, but it was an incredible feeling to know a boy like Naruto.

"He's great, isn't he?"

The old pervert she was once beating to a pulp, nodded to her with a kind smile. He was the proud, somewhat dysfunctional god-father of the boy, and he felt honored to be a part of this family no matter how much he drove them insane.

"It's getting late you two, you should get some sleep."

Each child took one of her hands, and she walked them down the hall, tucking in Naruto first before she brought the girl to the guest room they had across the hall. She hopped up on the mattress, curling up in the center of the best almost immediately as Kushina pulled the blankets over her. She felt sweet relief wash over her sore limbs as she huddled in the heavenly mattress, it felt like forever since she slept in a regular bed. For weeks, while she was on the run, she mainly slept in the forest. These people were being so helpful and accommodating to her, she didn't know how she could ever repay them.

"Minato and I sleep in the room right down the hall, so if you need anything just come get us, alright? We want you to feel as comfortable as possible."

She nodded with a weak smile, her eyelids drooping, the tempting hands of sleep tugging at her back. Kushina smoothed the girl's hair out, placing a few strands behind her ear before she leaned down and pecked her on the forehead.

"Sleep tight."

Kushina wished more than anything that the girl would speak, she wanted to hear her voice, talk to her and see what she was like. She wanted to get to know the sad, quiet little girl who wandered into their lives and changed it forever. Kushina wanted to know her name, and everything there was to know about her. But she had to give her time to heal.

The child watched as Kushina left the room, flicking off the lights and leaving the door open just a crack in case she needed to get outside during the night. She returned to Jiraiya, planning on staying away until her husband returned from work. Her head fell to the side, a window giving her the perfect view of the moon, and even in her exhaustion she was mesmerized. The blue light seeping into her room, casting a light over her and making her eyes glow. She remembered watching the moon when she was in her own village, and how much she loved to see it shine. It reminded her of home, the home she lost, the home she could never go back to. Her body became to quiver uncontrollably, and suddenly she noticed her vision becoming blurred as hot tears welled in her eyes, singing her cheeks as they streamed down her face. She was alone.

_'Mother...father...w-why?'_

Why did they tell her to go ahead without them? Did they want her to be alone? What was she supposed to do without her mother and father there? She whimpered and buried her face into the blanket, trying to muffle the sobs as she wept for the loss of the only family she ever had.

Naruto sat upright in bed, glancing around the room, he didn't understand why his mother always put him to bed so early. He still had so much energy during the night. Naruto fidgeted with his blanket until he became so annoyed her flung it off of him entirely, he simply wasn't tired yet. And frankly, his over active little mind was fawning all over the girl who was now going to be living with him and his parents. Naruto didn't have an issue with it, he would have to share his parent's affection with another child, but he wasn't concerned that they would disregard him completely. He knew his parents loved him very much. Besides, what with his father always at the office, and Sasuke always being trained by his brother, he didn't have anyone to hang out with.

Naruto hopped out of bed, scurrying to his door and peering out, looking both ways in the hall to make sure his mother wasn't coming. And then he darted swiftly across the hall into the room this girl was going to be staying in.

"Hey!"

He called to her in a whisper, not wanting to alarm her or his mother down in the living room. The girl stiffened, placing a hand over her mouth and trying to quickly wipe the tears away so he wouldn't see, but she was failing miserably.

"Are you awake?"

He shifted to the side of the bed and she reluctantly poked her head out, staring into those same blue eyes as before, what did he want? He smiled at the sight of her, but it soon faded as he saw the tear stains on her cheek and the wetness of her eyes.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

She turned away from his gaze, sniffling and continuing to swipe the tears with her arm. Naruto jumped to sit on the edge of the bed beside her, but she wouldn't look at him, she only continued to turn away and cry. Naruto placed a hand on her arm, feeling her jolt slightly at his sudden touch.

"Are you crying because of your family?"

His voice became low, realizing the seriousness of the situation. He hadn't ever met someone his age who didn't have a family, or even a clan. This girl was all by herself in the world, she lost her parents, he didn't know how, but he knew it had to be one of the worst feelings in the world – being alone. Naruto blinked when he received a short nod from her, at least she was responding.

"I'm sorry."

The girl still wouldn't look at him, he couldn't blame her. But he at least wanted to make her feel better, to see her smile just once. Naruto felt bad that she had to go through all of this. So the young boy leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her from behind in yet another tight embrace. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, allowing the tears to fall, there was no point in trying to hide them when he had already seen it. Naruto held her there, and she felt her heart beginning to race, he didn't move.

"It's ok, you can cry if you want to. Mom says that whenever you're feeling sad you should cry, because the tears help take the pain away. It lets you release your sadness."

Naruto rested his head on her own, and he could feel how her shaking was beginning to cease.

"I'm sorry about your parents...but my mom and dad seem to like you! And I like you!"

He tried to assure her, although he was fumbling over what to say, he had no idea how to make a depressed girl smile again.

"We can be friends..."

Naruto added, watching her carefully, soon she finished shaking completely, and the her eyes were dry of tears. She couldn't get them out anymore, she was drained. But she listened to his words, being comforted by them and letting them sink in.

"It's ok, I know you don't like to talk, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

There was a long, droning silence between the two children. The girl was touched, she never expected these people to take her in, let alone give a damn that she was by herself without parents or a home. Why did they care so much?

Naruto wrinkled his nose, still hugging her, not quite ready to let go yet. And he closed his eyes, if anything, he just wanted her to know that he was going to be there for her. Naruto didn't think it was fair, that she had to live her life all on her own, when he had a mother and father who gave him all the love in the world. He thought she deserved some love too.

The girl slowly found herself opening her mouth, licking her dry lips and swallowing a painful lump in her throat. She sat there, gathering her thoughts in the silence for a moment, before he heard something.

"S-Sarah..."

A very light, angelic voice came spilling out. The noise was weak, but Naruto heard it and his entire body shot up, staring at her with wide eyes full of wonder.

"What?"

She slowly turned over onto her back and gazed up at the boy who spent his time trying to comfort her and make her feel better. It meant a lot to her, so she figured she might as well say something.

"Sarah...my...my name...it's S-Sarah."

His eyes widened even more, exposing the white all around his irises. His face lit up, and he found himself starting to bounce up and down on her bed, laughing gleefully.

"Sarah? That's your name? That's a pretty name, I like that name!"

The once silent and mysterious girl had finally spoken, and she had the most entrancing voice. Naruto was ecstatic, she finally said something! And now they at least knew what to call her. Sarah smiled at his compliments, looking away bashfully, he scooted closer to her once again.

"Can you say my name?"

He pleaded, practically wiggling with excitement, she cleared her weak throat.

"Naruto..."

Naruto found himself wanting to squeal, but he caught himself ahead of time, not wanting to alert his mother of his misbehavior in sneaking out of bed. Naruto jumped on her in another hug and was taken by surprise, but slowly wrapped her little arms around him in return.

"It's really nice to meet you, Sarah!"

Sarah smiled even more, she had no idea what caused her to actually speak. But there was something about this boy, something that made her believe they could be friends.

"Nice to meet you too...Naruto."


	8. The Girl Who Found Her Voice

_Author's Note: Thank you SparkyOne for the review and the constructive criticism! I completely understand where you are coming from with the slow pace. I am committed to this being a long term story, so I am hoping everyone can bare with me until I get the ball rolling!_

_I also understand, that usually, it may be difficult for readers to like OC's as they usually become entirely the main focus and replace the other main characters. However, I assure you, that although it deviates from the original show – I am intent on holding it to the same plot and I do not intend to make her the main hero. _

_She will be one of the very main characters, but she will not overshadow the importance of the others, namely: Sasuke and Naruto. _

_Yes, I do plan on her being paired with Sasuke, and yes she will be a future babe – gotta reach passed the awkward adolescent stage first : )._

_Understandable, I highly appreciate all comments you brought up! I am willing to listen to anything that will help me become better at this. And I hope in the long run I manage to peak your interest a little more!_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Eight: The Girl Who Found Her Voice<span>

Weeks had past with the strange little girl residing in the Uzumaki, Namikaze household. And after the fateful night when she had spoken to Naruto, he took it upon himself to inform his parents of her name. Sarah, last name Sukiyaki, they knew nothing else, but they were still that much closer to uncovering the truth about the mysterious child being followed by the puppet masters.

Even after much coaxing from Kushina and Minato, Sarah still hadn't spoken a word to the two of them, saving her rare comments for when she was entirely alone with Naruto. The red head was still somewhat wary of the Hokage and his wife, as kind and accommodating as they were, her trust in adults, especially females – had wavered greatly due to recent experiences. But they took their time with her, deciding that when she was ready, and only then, would she come to them and speak on her own. In the mean time, Naruto had no qualms with delivering her messages to them, as few as they were – it was nice to know that she was progressing in the right direction.

Sarah tip-toed around the house, she was incredibly quiet, from time to time Kushina forgot she was even there, only to be startled when the little one appeared in the kitchen, fidgeting awkwardly, unsure of what to do with herself. She seemed hesitant to participate in family activities, even when they all had dinner, she always tended to make herself fade into the background, only to be pulled back into the light by Naruto. He was truly making an effort to break her thick shell, because so far, he had been the only one privileged to take a peak inside.

Kushina managed to give Sarah a hair trim, cutting the frayed ends, giving her a polished look. The woman found the girl to be prettier as the days flied by, her skin was porcelain and glowed in the sunlight, her hair a natural red, gleamed with all different shades when looked at from the right angle and her green eyes with a splash of blue could mesmerize any male. Her smile was gentle but timid, and she was kind even with her silence.

"One of these days I am going to have to take you shopping for some new clothes. We can't have you wearing Naruto's all the time, after all, you are a lady...and a very pretty one at that!"

Kushina beamed as she ruffled through Naruto's drawers, helping her slip on yet another over sized outfit, a white shirt with an orange swirl on the front – the symbol of her old country, and blue shorts. It was thrilling to have a girl to take care of, she always wondered what having a daughter would be like. And even though, biologically speaking, this wasn't her child, she was more than willing to make the girl feel at home and give her a family.

"Let's go next week, just you and me, no boy interference, how does that sound?"

Violet eyes met blue/green ones and there was silence, although, the older woman had become accustomed to it by now, she was always hopeful the girl would surprise her. But Sarah simply smiled shyly and nodded, rubbing her nose with her index finger, Kushina giggled and patted her shoulder before taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen for breakfast.

"We can't go shopping with Minato and Naruto, they hate it, they would only whine the whole time, we need to take a day and just focus on you!"

A (surrogate) mother-daughter day, that sounded like just the thing to bring Sarah around. Kushina understood that Sarah more than likely still had demons she was trying to leave behind, and horrible memories that she was trying to ease away from. She had a very familiar situation after the annihilation of her people and her country, it was tough, trying to survive alone – but she found Minato, and they found Sarah. She wouldn't have to go through this by herself.

"I'm off."

The blonde male swiftly took Kushina into his arms as she entered the living room, dipping her before plastering a chaste kiss on her perfect lips. She squealed, her cheeks shaded with a faint blush as she giggled and smiled against his mouth, he propped her upright and she pecked his forehead.

"Have a nice day, don't work too hard and don't be late – we're having a family dinner tonight!"

Even with her smile, he could sense the tension in her voice and nodded sharply.

"I wouldn't dare."

He winked and felt a tugging on his pants, glancing down he saw his eager son smiling brightly up and him and awaiting his goodbye. The Hokage crouched to his level and gave him a bear hug, squeezing him tightly before ruffling his hair.

"Keep your mother and Sarah company alright? And behave."

He emphasized the last two words with a firm finger and Naruto stuck his tongue out at him. He didn't need a lecture, he knew what he was doing!

"I got it! I got it!"

Minato chuckled before swiveling to face the young girl, she fiddled with her fingers and watched the carpeted floor. He grabbed her arms gently and squeezed them briefly, getting her to gaze up at him successfully, Minato placed his lips to her forehead and held them there for a moment, breaking off with the smallest of kisses.

"Have fun today, Sarah, ok?"

The trademark smile returned and he smoothed out her short hair.

"Do me a favor?"

He questioned and her eyebrow popped up in confusion, he held up his pinky.

"Promise to keep an eye on Naruto for me?"  
>She glanced from the man to his son who was following his mother into the kitchen for some pancakes. Sarah blinked and turned her attention back to the brilliantly smiling Hokage, the man who took her in, the one who cared enough to bring her into his home even though he had so many other responsibilities.<p>

"Someone's got to have his back."

He added and Sarah slowly lifted her hand, extending her pinky as well to curl around his larger one. Sarah managed a larger smile and nodded quickly, he laughed in return before parting ways and going to do his duty as the Hokage of Konoha.

Minato was well aware of the growing bond between the odd girl and his son. She only spoke when she was alone with him, and ever since Naruto gained her trust, she'd been softening up. Her smiles became more frequent, even though her words didn't, but he was confident she would get there when she was ready. He wanted to make sure their friendship continued to grow.

"I wish Dad didn't have to go back to work..."

Naruto grumbled as he sat in the backyard, Sarah was sitting to his right, watching him intently as he spoke. Kushina was inside, she had been preparing dinner ever since Minato left that morning. She began picking at the blades of grass before her, tracing her fingers along each one before discarding it.

"Why?"

She simply asked, her voice was light, and if you didn't listen carefully enough you might miss it. But Naruto's ears perked up at the mere sound, his chest heating up whenever she spoke to him.

"Cause when he's gone he can't train me! I gotta get ready to join the academy...I need to be the greatest ninja I can! How can I do that when he's not here to train me?"

Sarah studied the piece of grass she was holding carefully, listening to the whispers of the wind as it danced with her hair.

"Academy?"

What kind of academy was he talking about? Sarah thought she had heard him and his father discussing something like this a few days ago, but she stayed out of it, not wanting to intrude on their conversation.

"Yeah! The ninja academy, of course!"

Naruto was met with a blank stare, Sarah was even more confused than before.

_'Ninja academy?'_

Sarah had never heard of such a thing before. Her parents, on few occasions mentioned to her that other lands had people called shinobi, or ninja, who were trained from when they were very young in order to serve as somewhat of an army to the villages and countries. It wasn't something she paid too much attention to, her land didn't have ninja, therefore, it wasn't her concern. But it would be a lie to say it hadn't peaked her interest, she had heard rumors of people in the world with extraordinary abilities, and she wondered what they could be. Was Naruto like these people she had been told of?

"You don't know?"

He asked her innocently, his lips pursing, he thought everyone knew about the ninja academy! It was common knowledge to those around Konoha, and as far as he knew, all of the other hidden villages. But he had no idea where this girl came from, or what environment she was raised it, so maybe he was being a little silly for assuming.

"It's the coolest place ever! You train with top ninja and learn all the stuff you need to be a great shinobi! It's awesome. I'm going there next year, you should come too!"

Training to become a ninja? She hadn't even thought it about it, in fact, it hadn't even crossed her mind before this moment. Up until a few months ago, she always figured she would stay in her village, with her parents and remain with her clan and find a job there. She never suspected her life would be altered so drastically in such a short span of time, Sarah didn't imagine the option ever being offered to her. She quickly turned her ashamed glance away, still playing with the one blade of grass between her fingers.

"I-I can't...I'm...I'm not a ninja..."

Nor would she ever be. Sarah was sure she would be terrible at it, fumbling at every turn, she would most likely get herself killed. And knowing what she could do...it would be safer for everyone if she merely stayed away from the limelight. Naruto shook his head and slid closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, come on! I'm sure you'd be great! It's better than normal school, that's no fun. Besides, if you went, than you could stay with me and you could meet all my other friends!"

Sarah didn't reply, but every word was swirling in her brain like an uncontrollable whirlwind. Becoming a ninja...it almost sounded like a fantasy...or possibly a nightmare? Her parents always told her she was capable of great things, encouraging her to continuing using that strange energy of hers. But she hadn't practiced with it since their deaths, it didn't feel right, it was once their little secret – only known by her and her parents though they never fully understood it. Sarah felt almost like it would be a betrayal to them to show it to others.

"That...might not be a good idea..."

She whispered, her voice getting lower and lower as she spoke. Naruto placed his chin on her shoulder and stared at her questionably, utterly confused and curious as to why her demeanor changed so much.

"It is a good idea, I promise! My friends would love you...you're really nice...quiet...but nice! And I like you, that's what matters! You don't have to be scared or nervous. I got your back!"

Sarah lifted her head, his final words hitting her like a punch to the stomach. That was the same thing Minato said to her when he left the house this morning, she promised that she would have Naruto's back. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but it almost made more sense when the blonde kid said it right at that moment.

"You...you won't let them make fun of me?"

His blue eyes widened and he shook his head.

"No way! I'll kick their butts if they try it!"

Sarah's lips curled into a small smile, he watched as she lifted her pinky slowly, eyes sparkling with hope.

"Promise?"

_'You're a disease! You'll infect everyone around you!'_

The words shattered her heart, piercing through unwanted memories like a rusty blade to the chest, but she remained smiling.

_'You freak, you're better off dead!'_

She bit her bottom lip, expression pleading for him to take her finger. Naruto grinned, clasping his around her own tightly and giving it a squeeze, he laughed brightly.

"I promise!"

Maybe becoming a ninja wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Naruto babbled on and on about the ninja academy for the rest of the day, informing her of all the details she needed to know in order to join in the same year as him. It was somewhat of a a stretch, attempting to start her in training when the year was quickly coming to a close – but Naruto wasn't letting up.

"We'll talk to Mom and Dad about it at dinner!"

Naruto suggested, waving his arms around wildly, he was excited, ecstatic even to have another friend join in the academy with him. It would be so much fun, learning to become a fantastic ninja with all of his close peers, and he wanted her to meet his friends, get to know the village and hopefully come to accept it as her new home. Sarah was hesitant to say the least, what if his father didn't want to train her? What if he thought it would be a complete waste of time? He had enough to worry about, and on top of getting his son ready for the academy, why would he want to spend so much time doing the same with her? She wasn't his daughter, she was just a lonely girl taking up space in his house.

Naruto's embrace secured her into agreement. There was just something about it, the way his little arms curled so tightly around her, filling her heart with a warmth never before described. The boy was pushing her to make something of herself, and even though he barely knew her – he was doing his best to make sure she felt at home here, and for that she was eternally grateful. Sarah felt comfortable around him, like he was someone he could trust and the feeling was growing. He almost made her want to become something more than just the silent little girl living in the Hokage's house. But she was scared...terrified even...of the threatening stares and harsh words she would be greeted with when she tried to become part of this new place.

The Hokage gleefully returned home that night, bursting through the door with a vibrant smile, Kushina was still hustling away in the kitchen, finishing the meal they would have for dinner. It was a combination of foods, pork chops with luscious green vegetables, mashed potatoes, a bowl of rice for Sarah and a bowl of ramen for Naruto – knowing he wouldn't eat anything unless ramen was offered as a side dish. He was obsessed, he had inherited that from his mother.

"Dinner is almost ready! Everyone wash your hands and take a seat at the table!"

Naruto practically dragged Sarah's feeble body down the hall. Her wounds that had marred her wrists, ankles and neck were healing up quite nicely. Fading back to their original color, hopefully along with the memories of those women. They hadn't resurfaced since she had been found, but everyone was keeping an eye out, any sign of them and she would be under immediate protection. The blonde boy was more than eager to suggest to his parents that they help her prepare for the ninja academy, regardless of her hesitance over the matter he was going to bring it up anyway. They washed their hands as they were ordered and met at the table while the mother of the house placed the meal before them. Sarah's eyes widened at the display, mouth watering as she caught the scent of the meat - it looked immaculate. Kushina really went all out. Minato licked his lips fervently and scanned the table to see what he wanted to attack first, his son approaching the meal in the same fashion.

"Don't eat just yet! I wanted to say something!"

Kushina barked, grinning beautifully with the faintest sparkle of malice in her eyes. Sarah felt a chill run down her spine, she had seen this woman's temper flare more than once, deciding immediately that it would be best to stay on her good side. The boy's froze in place, leaning over the food with drool pooling under their tongues, desperate to just get one taste. But they knew better and heeded her warning, sinking back into their chairs with innocent and bashful smiles. Kushina gave a great sigh, clapping her hands together excitedly.

"I know this big dinner may seem a little out of the ordinary, but I was just thinking that we never formally welcomed Sarah into our home."

The little girl blinked, her eyes widening by merely a fraction, the two blonde's sitting with her smiled in return, nodding in agreement. Kushina gazed with loving, warm eyes at the child she had so graciously accepted into her home, Sarah only stared back, confused and...surprised.

"It's been a couple of weeks, so I know it's a little late. But better late than never I suppose. We're very happy to have you here, Sarah, we hope you know that no matter what – my family and I will always be there for you. You're becoming part of our home, and we want you to be part of this family as well."

Her smile softened just a bit, her lips twitching as the note she found in the girl's pocket crossed her mind. The words had been etched into her memory, she couldn't forget it even if she tried.

"I know we're not your real parents and we would never try to replace them. But we hope that soon you will come to see that we truly care about you, we want you to feel at home here, that you're safe. You don't have to be scared anymore."

Minato nodded firmly in agreement, thinking back on the day, two months ago, when the young child was walked into his office by Kakashi. She was so fragile, trembling and weak as she crumbled before him, he had finally seen her smile, and that was the main thing he wanted, to make her happy. They may never be able to provide what her true parents and clan could for her, but they could damn well try.

"So welcome, Sarah, to our home, to your home."

Minato raised his glass of wine, dipping his head respectfully to the small girl who was sitting, huddled next to his son.

"We're very happy to have you here."

Naruto smiled brilliantly, exposing all of his pearly whites as he slid his arms around the small girl at his side, hugging her close to his body, she blushed profusely.

"Totally!"

He called out in agreement and Kushina giggled. She was so happy at how well things had been going with Sarah in the house, Naruto had taken to her quickly, helping her break out of her tough shell. Minato had a soft spot for the girl, having seen her at her lowest point, he wanted to help her more than anything and so did she. This girl deserved to have a loving family even though she had lost her own.

Sarah didn't know how to react, her eyes were wide and scanned the family she had been staying with, flabbergasted by the sudden, incredibly kind announcement. Sarah couldn't believe these people had been so kind to her, taking a lonely girl off the streets they didn't even know, giving her a home and treating her like one of their own. She never thought this would happen, she was sure that they would shun her, just like the others. Just like the women who so desperately wanted her dead. But they treated her with love and respect, a love just like her parents before they were so brutally ripped away from her. They didn't want to replace her family, they just wanted to help fill the gaping void in her that their absence left behind. Sarah's head darted around, reading all of their sweet expressions, they were being sincere...they wanted her here and they wanted her to feel at home in this place.

_'It doesn't matter where you go...you can run all you like...everyone you ever come into contact with will think you're a freak!'_

The harsh voice resonated in her brain, and she winced, gripping the bottom of the chair as she recoiled. Naruto pulled away, watching with concerned optics as her body began to tremble violently. The adults in the room glanced at each other, confused and worried, her reaction was not what they expected.

_'They'll find out about what you did...you'll be shunned everywhere you go.'_

Sarah's eyes blurred with hot tears and she clenched her jaw, trying to cease the unbearable aching in her chest. Each word, each familiar insult cut through her, carving through each of her sensitive nerves. Angry, disgusted faces flashed through her mind, hooded creatures with abnormally sharp teeth and bloody chakra strings protruding from their fingers. Her grip on the chair tightened as she whimpered, tears streaming rapidly down her cheeks. She couldn't believe it. Did this family really want her around? Did they know what she was capable of? Did they know that she was a freak?

_'You're a disease! Give in before you infect everyone around you!'_

"Sarah! Why are you crying?"

Naruto called out, practically jumping out of his seat as she released a high pitched squeal. Kushina and Minato didn't waste another moment before racing to her aid. The crimson haired female placed a warm hand on Sarah's arm, but she didn't look up, her eyes were glazed over, lost in some distant time. She was shaking violently, her skin becoming a deathly pale, similar to how it was when they first found her.

"Sarah, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

The agonizing pang in her heart did not let up, it slammed against her ribcage, and pulsed through her veins, spreading through the rest of her body. Why did they hate her so much? Why did they want her to die?

"Sarah, come on, look at me."

Kushina pleaded, a sharp pain ringing through her chest at the sight of the girl's sadness. What could be the reason for her crying? They were only trying to show her that this could be her new home if she wanted it. Could she have been thinking about her parents?

Minato was running through all the possible reasons in his mind, but couldn't come up with one. His blood was pumping wildly through him, his heart pounding as he ran a frantic hand through his spiky hair, Naruto could only watch as his new friend gasped for air as she almost choked on her own saliva.

Sarah's face was drenched, everyone's words seeming so far away. It was like white noise amongst a wave of endless static. And all she could see were faces, blood...and fire. She could hear their screams echoing in her ears as if they were happening all over again.

"Please, look at me."

The pleas finally managed to reach her, and the young girl slowly turned her head to face Kushina. But what she saw was not the woman she expected, no violet eyes or red hair. Instead she was faced with darkness, cold, angry silver eyes peered through her – a gleeful and devilish smile exposing shark like teeth. Sarah gripped the wooden seat even more, no one noticing the large cracks that were forming where her hands held it.

"GET AWAY!"

Sarah shrieked, stumbling out of the chair before darting as fast as she could down the hall. Minato jumped up, following her, he slid to his knees, gently grabbing her before she could lock herself into her room. The little one thrashed maniacally in his hold, flailing her limbs and scratching at his arms. Her eyes were slammed shut as she continued to scream, trying to block out the world around her.

"Leave me alone! Leave me alone! I didn't do anything!"

Minato held her at a distance, her nails getting dangerously close to his face.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Sarah sobbed, the tears never ceasing, she coughed raggedly and panted as she struggled against him. His crystal blue eyes were wide, trying to keep her steady without hurting her. It was at that moment he realized, she wasn't with them anymore, she thought she was somewhere else, somewhere with those women who were trying so hard to hurt her. He wasn't sure how, but something they said before must have triggered it. The Hokage wasn't aware of what those women, more importantly Adelle, had done to her before they got her safely into the village. But it was apparent that whatever it was, had been plaguing her endlessly even after she escaped.

"Sarah, calm down! It's ok, it's me, Minato!"

Kushina and Naruto were quickly at his side, their son almost cowering behind his mother, fearful eyes fixated on his screaming friend. Kushina covered her mouth, she didn't know what to say or do and allowed her husband to try and bring the girl back to reality.

"No one is going to hurt you here! Those women are gone they can't get to you anymore! They're not here, Sarah!"

His tone became firmer and louder, and soon her thrashing began to calm down. Sarah still wiggled in his hold, but she refused to open her eyes in fear of what she would see when she did.

"Calm down, everything is going to be ok, you're safe here. We're not going to let them hurt you anymore. I promise."

Eventually, her writhing stopped, she stood limply in his grasp, her arms hanging at her sides and her head facing the floor. He loosened his grip and placed one hand on her cheek, lifting her to eye contact. They were open, half lidded, but he could see them. She looked pale, more than usual and dark circles marred the skin beneath her eyes, tears still smeared across her cheeks. Sarah looked tired, more than anything, and scared. But she relax when she realized they was surrounded by them and not who she thought.

"There you are...are you ok?"

He asked softly, a concerned smile forming. Her bottom lip quivered as her gaze darted to all three of them, she hardly even remembered what happened. One minute she was in the kitchen listening to their speech, and the next she was being...chased again. But no one was here to chase her.

"You...you don't want to...to hurt me?"

Minato smile fell almost instantly, his heart sinking into his gut at the mere question. It was heart breaking to see such an innocent little girl so terrified. But she had been living in fear for months, always running, never trusting others around her – this was an entirely new place and she didn't know what these people really thought of her.

"Of course not. We would never hurt you, we want to help you."

At the moment they were so surprised and so worried, they hadn't even taken into account that these were the first words she had ever spoken to them.

"You don't...think I'm a...f-freak?"

"Not at all, sweetie! We think you're great! You're not a freak, not at all!"

Kushina blurted out, her bottom lip quivering as her voice broke. She was on the verge of tears at the mere sight of it all. Those women had done something horrible to her, so horrible that it was haunting her more than she knew. It was awful. Why would they ever want to harm someone like her?

Sarah bit her bottom lip and sniffled, what the hell was she doing? These people were welcoming her into their home and she went and panicked in the middle of dinner. She wouldn't be surprised if these people didn't want her around...all she did was ruin things. All she ever did was cause trouble.

"I'm sorry..."

Minato shook his head at her apology, the smile returning to his lips, but faintly. He didn't say a word before he scooped her up into his arms, lifting her off the floor in a tight hug. Sarah squeaked in surprise, resting her head on his shoulder before she scrambled to hug him back, a few more tears left to slide down her cheeks.

"You don't need to apologize. You've done nothing wrong. Just know that we're not going to let anyone hurt you again. Those women aren't going to touch you, you're safe."

Her grip on him tightened and she popped one eye open to see Kushina stroking her hair back, smiling as well as her husband and son. These people, this family, they really did want to help her. They didn't think she was a freak or that she needed to be fixed. They liked her as she was.

"We like you, Sarah, just as you are, you don't need to change anything about yourself."

She added to her husband's kind words, and even in the tired state that she was, she managed a tiny smile.

"I meant what I said. We're happy to have you here, with us, nothing is going to change that."

The woman added, Minato set Sarah back on her feet and brushed her tears away with a gentle stroke of his thumb. Her cheeks were shaded with pink, embarrassed that she allowed herself to become so crazed and vulnerable in front of them. Sarah fiddled with her fingers, eyes darting up bashfully to face the family.

"Thank you...I-I do like it here..."

She admitted, and she was telling the truth. These people treated her like she was part of the family, not a strange outsider, and not like a freak. It was different, and it would take some time to get used to it, but she was willing to make an effort. After all, they had done so much for her already.

"We're glad...and we're happy to be able to hear your voice for the first time too."

Kushina giggled, grinning at the timid child. Finally, after two months of trying to coax her out of her shell, she spoke to them for the first time. Ideally, it wasn't how she pictured it would go, but at least it happened. And that was a step in the right direction.

"Now come on! Let's go finish our dinner before it gets cold!"

Kushina clapped eagerly and Naruto cheered, the adults stood, leading the children back into the dining room when Kushina felt something warm tug her hand. Looking down she saw Sarah gripping it firmly within her own, and the woman sighed, she was growing to trust them more and more, and for that she was so relieved.

But she still couldn't help but wonder...what had those women done to this poor girl? It had gotten to the point where she was begging and pleading for them to leave her alone. Even though they weren't around, they still managed to torment her. Kushina filed the details away in her mind, she would discuss them with Minato later. And she knew it would still be quite a while before Sarah was even able to process what they had done to her without having a panic attack. It was going to be a long time before they could address her about it directly.

"Whoa! What happened to the chair!"

Naruto shouted as he pointed rapidly to the wooden chair that was next to his own. He had taken his place at the table again when he noticed that the one Sarah had previously been using had massive cracks along the sides that were going towards the middle.

"What the hell?"

Minato rubbed the back of his neck and gestured for Kushina to take a look. The woman gasped at the sight of her beloved piece of furniture. Where the cracks met, a large one was forming in the center, giving off the appearance that it could collapse any moment. Sarah looked away, twisting her foot into the floor, receiving curious glances from the other three. This was the chair she had been sitting in when she started freaking out...but what happened to it?

"Umm...we'll just get you another chair...I guess."

Kushina giggled lightly, this certainly turned out to be an eventful evening.


End file.
